CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was spent on advertising in the UK economy in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of GDP this figure represented.

Edward Vaizey: The advertising sector was estimated to have contributed £5.9 billion, or 0.48% to the UK’s CVA in 2009.
	The latest “Creative Industries Economic Estimates” bulletin was released in December 2011, in which the contribution to the economy of the creative industries is estimated (including the advertising sector) covering gross value added (GVA), employment, exports in services and number of businesses. This can be found at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8682.aspx

Broadband: EU Grants and Loans

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on European regional development fund applications relating to superfast broadband.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has been working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the definition of eligible expenditure on superfast broadband from the European regional development fund and we have agreed some guidance which has been issued to broadband stakeholders. As set out in the National Infrastructure Plan and the Growth Review published in 2011, the Government are taking a flexible approach to ensure that local areas can benefit from the available funding.

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what provision will be made for British Overseas Territories in the official Queen's diamond jubilee celebration;
	(2)  what assistance his Department is giving to British Overseas Territories to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee.

Hugh Robertson: A series of key events will take place over the extended bank holiday weekend in June to mark Her Majesty's diamond jubilee. This Department is working closely with Foreign and Commonwealth Office colleagues and Buckingham palace to establish how the Overseas Territories can take part in these events, and to ensure they are given every opportunity to engage with the celebrations. For example, Overseas Territories' Governments are being supported in their plans to hold diamond jubilee celebrations, which for many will include lighting a beacon to mark the occasion. Citizens of the Overseas Territories will be eligible for the diamond jubilee medal in line with the agreed eligibility criteria. And, as announced in December by Buckingham Palace, members of the royal family will be visiting Overseas Territories throughout the diamond jubilee year on behalf of the Queen.

HMS Ark Royal

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made on the possible financial benefits to the economy of Torbay from the sale of HMS Ark Royal to the Wreck the World organisation.

Peter Luff: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Defence.
	All proposals received to buy HMS Ark Royal are being evaluated solely against published technical, financial and commercial criteria.
	Work to evaluate the proposals is at an advanced stage and we hope to make a decision about the successful bid in the near future.

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many listed places of worship have participated in the grant scheme for repairs in (a) Leicester and (b) England in the last 12 months.

John Penrose: From 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011, two listed places of worship in Leicester have claimed a grant from the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme, and 2,223 listed places of worship in England have claimed a grant from the scheme.

Sports

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which five sports (a) he and (b) the Minister for Sport and the Olympics visited most in an official capacity in 2011.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and I visited many sports in an official capacity in 2011. Some of the sports included were badminton, beach volleyball, cricket, cycling, football, golf, motor racing, rugby, sailing, tennis, wheelchair basketball, boxing, table tennis, equestrianism, handball, rowing, swimming, synchronised swimming, gymnastics, climbing, beach volleyball and archery.

Television: Advertising

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has assessed the effect of (a) advertising specifically focused on children and (b) fictional acts of violence portrayed on television and in film on children’s subjective well-being levels.

Edward Vaizey: No assessment has been made. The rules on media content standards are the responsibility of media regulators that are independent of Government. It is these regulators who assess the sort of material that is appropriate for different audiences.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society initiative; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: This Department's Business Plan contains a number of commitments which will help boost the Big Society. Updates on progress against all milestones in the Business Plan are published monthly and are available here:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_us/8317.aspx

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Education

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the Standard Learning Credit scheme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost of the Enhanced Learning Credits scheme in (a) 20011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

Andrew Robathan: We continue to promote lifelong learning and estimate the following will be refunded to claimants through the Standard, and Enhanced Learning Credits scheme:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Standard Learning Credits Enhanced Learning Credits 
			 2011-12 2.1 15.3 
			 2012-13 2.1 16.2 
			 2013-14 2.2 17.2 
			 2014-15 2.2 17.3

Armed Forces: Education

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to encourage more service personnel to take advantage of the funding assistance provided by his Department through schemes such as the Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme and Standard Learning Credits Scheme.

Andrew Robathan: The MOD promotes lifelong learning among members of the armed forces, and this is encouraged through the Learning Credits schemes. Recruits undertaking phase one training are provided with a briefing on the schemes and are automatically enrolled. These briefings are routinely followed up by learning and development officers and service resettlement advisers. In addition Learning Credits are regular features in the "Courses 4 Forces" and "Quest" publications, both of which are widely distributed by service establishments and also online.

Arms Trade

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the National Security Council has discussed the Arms Trade Treaty; and whether he has asked the Council to discuss it.

Nick Harvey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), on 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 75W.

Entertainers: Afghanistan

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding from the public purse has been spent on provision of accommodation, hospitality, transport or other facilities to enable showbusiness personalities, radio presenters and others in the entertainment industry to visit Afghanistan in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 19 January 2012
	Entertainment of members of the armed forces is, and has for many years been, an important element of the deployment welfare package. It helps to maintain morale and thereby combat effectiveness of service personnel. The Ministry of Defence has a contract with Combined Services Entertainment to provide entertainment to members of the armed forces deployed overseas, including Afghanistan. The value of entertainment provided for Afghanistan against this contract during 2011 was £437,637. This figure does include an element for UK travel and mobilisation costs, however, entertainment personalities who visit Afghanistan under this contract or under other auspices are transported and accommodated alongside armed forces personnel at minimal extra cost to the public purse.

Ex-servicemen

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to assess whether levels of (a) alcohol dependency, (b) substance dependency, (c) homelessness, (d) mental health problems and (e) crime perpetration are higher than average among ex-service personnel.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence fully supports the need for high quality research in these areas. We have commissioned a number of well-received studies over a number of years into various aspects of Defence health, including mental health. One such ongoing study carried out by King’s college, London has, since 2003, researched the experiences of armed forces personnel who served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The study has over 20,000 participants and it monitors the effects of operational service against a cohort group who did not deploy. Key findings to-date are:
	The overall mental health of the armed forces is good and prevalence of disorders among service personnel is generally in line with the rest of the population.
	Some 13% of respondents displayed evidence of alcohol misuse, compared to a similar figure in the general population. Increased use is associated with operational deployment.
	Some 4% of respondents displayed symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (compared with 3%-7% in the general population).
	Common mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, are more prevalent, with 19.7% of service personnel studied experiencing them.
	The deployment on operations was associated with a small increase in symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder in reservists (5%). This should be viewed against the very low prevalence of symptoms for reservists (1.8%) who did not deploy on operations.
	We currently estimate that about 3.5% of the prison population in England and Wales has previously served in the armed forces. We are committed to playing our part in supporting the Ministry of Justice and our voluntary and community sector partners, in identifying and supporting ex-service personnel who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

HMS Victory

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future management and conservation of the wreck of HMS Victory 1744; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: An agreement has been reached with the Maritime Heritage Foundation for the trust to undertake the future management of the Victory (1744) wreck site. The remains of the vessel have been gifted to the trust, with safeguards to ensure that any actions taken in respect of the wreck are consistent with the archaeological principles set out in Annex A to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Programme: Tankers

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RFA tankers are to be ordered in the MARS programme.

Peter Luff: holding answer 19 January 2012
	We have received the final bids for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Tankers programme and anticipate announcing the winning bid later this spring. Up to four MARS tankers are expected to be ordered.

Rescue Services

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 799W, on rescue services, what the minimum altitude was of the maritime patrol aircraft provided by the Irish Air Corps during the search and rescue operation for the Swanland; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The fixed wing aircraft support to the Swanland rescue operation was provided by the Irish Coast Guard, part of the Irish Department of Transport. The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the minimum altitude of the aircraft during the operation.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral answer of 11 October 2011, Official Report, column 172W, on individual voter registration, for what reasons the level of voter registration will not decrease significantly following the introduction of individual electoral registration.

Mark Harper: The Government are putting safeguards in place to stop people “dropping off” the register, as well as looking at ways we can increase registration levels during the transition to individual electoral registration (IER).
	We have learnt from the experience in Northern Ireland and are phasing in IER over two years. Existing electors will be invited to register under the new system in both the amended canvass in 2014 and the full household canvass in 2015 before they are removed from the register. In these canvasses we are funding extensive contact with all electors that will include invitations to register, reminders and door to door canvassing. This will be supported by an Electoral Commission publicity campaign.
	Last year we tested data matching, that is the matching of electoral registers with public databases. We are now considering the emerging findings and how it might support completeness over the transition to IER.
	The recent report by the Electoral Commission on completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers shows that it is important, now more than ever, that we modernise the system of electoral registration. That is what we are doing as part of the transition to IER, for example by enabling online registration. The Government remain committed to ensuring that the maximum number of eligible people are on the register.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has considered downgrading the remit of the Electoral Commission to monitor electoral registration.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Commission issues guidance to and sets standards for electoral registration officers on electoral administration, and monitors their performance. The Government believe that this is an appropriate role for the Electoral Commission and have no plans to change it.

EDUCATION

Academies Act 2010

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the outcome of the consideration he gave under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 to the effect of establishing the free schools that opened in September 2011.

Nick Gibb: The outcome of the consideration under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010, in respect of the impact of establishing a new school on educational institutions in the area in which the additional school is (or is proposed to be) situated, is the Funding Agreement. The 2011 Free School Funding Agreements will be published in due course.

Academies: Faith Schools

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether his Department is working with the Church of England to make it possible for community schools to convert to faith academies in one consultation;
	(2)  what equality impact assessment his Department has made on any plans to expand the number and proportion of (a) academy and (b) non-academy Church of England schools;
	(3)  what measures are in place to protect staff and students at former community schools that gain a faith ethos from religious discrimination by the school or the school's sponsor;
	(4)  whether a school without a religious character but with a faith ethos can place an occupational requirement on some senior posts requiring them to share the religion of the school.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 January 2012
	We believe that it is right that all schools, whether faith schools or not, should have the chance to enjoy the benefits of academy status. We have been clear however, that schools which are voluntarily converting to academy status should not be able to use the process of conversion itself to gain a faith designation.
	The current requirement in respect of maintained schools for a school to close and then reopen as a faith school in order to gain a religious designation is set out in primary legislation. Any change would, therefore require legislation. The Department is currently reviewing school organisation regulations, which apply in relation to maintained schools, with the aim of streamlining processes and reducing bureaucracy.
	The Department has no plans to expand the number and proportion of Church of England schools. Therefore, an equality impact assessment of such a proposal has not been necessary.
	Where an existing academy wants to gain a religious designation, it must seek the permission of the Secretary of State to change its articles and funding agreement. We would always insist that a consultation of the local community had been carried out before considering whether such permission would be granted. Where an academy did gain a faith designation, we would ensure that in amending the funding agreement there was guaranteed protection for existing staff.
	Only designated faith schools have an exemption from the Equality Act 2010 which allows them to apply religious criteria to certain posts, in line with the provisions of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998. Other schools may only discriminate in relation to senior posts if they can demonstrate that there is a genuine occupational requirement for the post holder to be of a particular religion or belief.

Academies: Primary Education

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of any effects of the conversion of primary schools into academies on (a) head teacher salaries, (b) provision of cooked meals in schools and (c) provision of free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The Government believe that teachers and head teachers and governors know best how to run schools. This includes the freedom to set terms and conditions in relation to staff, including head teachers, to give them greater scope to innovate and raise standards for the pupils in their schools. Regardless of academy status, a school meal must also be provided to pupils who meet the eligibility criteria and who have made a request for the meal. It is for schools themselves to decide what form that meal should take, i.e. whether they provide a hot or cold meal, or a packed lunch. The academy's funding agreement requires the academy trust to ensure that a school lunch is provided for eligible pupils.

Education: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to include reference to children's subjective well-being relating to school life within school inspection frameworks and performance measures.

Nick Gibb: A new school inspection framework came into effect at the start of January. This reflects provisions in the Education Act 2011 which require inspection reporting to be focused around the areas of pupils' achievement; teaching quality; leadership; and pupils' behaviour and safety. In reporting on these matters, inspectors need to consider how the school is meeting the needs of the range of pupils and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All these aspects are relevant to pupils' subjective well-being.
	The Government are publishing, through the school performance tables, comprehensive information about the standards pupils attain; the progress they make at school; and how gaps in performance between groups of pupils are narrowing. These matters impact strongly on pupils' well-being.
	The Government are also committed to using the subjective well-being data that will become available through the Office for National Statistics' “Measuring national well-being programme”, alongside more traditional objective measures, to assess the impact of policies on people's quality of life.

Education: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the ending of educational maintenance allowance on levels of subjective well-being for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Nick Gibb: Recent well-being data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that young people aged between 16 and 19 were rated as having relatively high levels of life satisfaction and happiness.
	The Department's decision to end education maintenance allowance (EMA) was informed by research which indicated that most young people who received EMA would have participated in further education without it.
	The 16-19 bursary fund, which began at the beginning of the current academic year, targets financial support towards those young people who are experiencing significant barriers to participating in education and training. The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the bursary fund which is due to commence soon. The evaluation will consider the overall impact of the new arrangements, and will look particularly at the impact on vulnerable groups and those less likely to participate post-16.

Financial Services: Education

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) level of financial education in schools.

Nick Gibb: Financial education is currently taught as part of the non-statutory framework for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
	In July 2010, Ofsted published a report on PSHE education in schools, based on evidence from inspections of 165 maintained schools in England between September 2006 and July 2009. Inspectors found that students in those schools that were successfully developing personal finance education showed a good understanding of personal finance, used financial terms correctly and were able to apply their knowledge in making financial decisions. They highlighted inconsistency in provision for finance education.
	We are reviewing PSHE, including financial capability, to determine how we can improve the quality of all PSHE teaching and support teachers to teach the subject well. The review will allow the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), to consider the place of financial education in the curriculum. We have completed our public evidence-gathering phase, and expect to publish proposals for public consultation later this year.

Free School Meals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he gives to the number of free school meals claimed when calculating levels of educational (a) attainment and (b) performance.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 20 January 2012
	The Government are committed to closing attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is used as a measure for disadvantage and the attainment of pupils who are eligible for FSM forms a key part of the published school performance data. The Department publishes national and local attainment data by pupil characteristics, including eligibility for FSM, annually. These data for Key Stage 2 were published on 15 December and data for Key Stages 4 and 5 will be published in February 2012.
	The new Ofsted framework for inspection specifically refers to pupils eligible for FSM and inspectors are required to consider the extent to which the school meets the needs of such pupils.

History: GCSE

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of children taking history at GCSE level.

Nick Gibb: The Government are concerned that GCSE entries to history, geography and foreign languages have been falling and have introduced the English Baccalaureate to reverse these declines.
	The English Baccalaureate recognises schools' and pupils' GCSE achievements in English, maths, sciences, history, geography and languages. We have published information on GCSE performance in this combination of subjects to encourage schools to open their study up to more pupils.
	A survey of nearly 700 schools, carried out last summer, indicated that the introduction of the English Baccalaureate is having an immediate impact on the proportion of children electing to take up study of GCSE history. Schools responding indicated that 39% of their pupils (taking GCSEs in 2013) are taking up history, against 31% of pupils entered for history GCSEs in 2010. This represents an approximate increase of 26% in the number of pupils taking up history in the schools responding.

Primary Education: Teachers

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) men and (b) women have qualified as primary school teachers in the last three years for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The latest available data are given in the following table:
	
		
			 Number attaining qualified teacher status as primary teachers, by gender. Academic years 2007/08 to 2009/10. Coverage: England 
			  Gender  
			 Academic year Male Female Total 
			 2007/08 2,010 13,510 15,520 
			 2008/09 2,100 13,660 15,770 
			 2009/10 2,370 13,320 15,690 
			 Notes: 1. Includes all routes to qualified teacher status (postgraduate and undergraduate routes, college-based and employment-based routes). 2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10, so totals might not appear to be the sum of their parts.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children eligible for the pupil premium in Carlisle constituency in academic year 2012-13.

Sarah Teather: We do not yet have final figures for the number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in the 2012-13 academic year as they will, in part, be based on pupil numbers recorded in the January 2012 census returns. The Department has produced illustrative tables, based on the January 2011 pupil census, showing estimated allocations of the pupil premium for 2012-13. This estimate reflects the change in the criteria for eligibility for the pupil premium which I announced on 12 December 2011. This extends eligibility in 2012-13 to pupils who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last six years. The tables can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2013pupilpremium/a00200465/schools-funding-settlement-2012-13-including-pupil-premium
	Based on the January 2011 pupil census, the estimated number of pupils in the Carlisle constituency who would be eligible for the pupil premium in 2012-13 is 2,530. The total number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in the Carlisle constituency may be higher, but it is not possible to identify the number of pupils in each parliamentary constituency recorded as being in care or recorded in the alternative provision census as, in both cases, the returns are provided at local authority level rather than at establishment level.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children the pupil premium has been allocated to in Carlisle constituency since it was introduced.

Sarah Teather: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and allocations have so far only been made for the 2011-12 financial year. Pupil premium funding is provided in respect of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces. In the Carlisle constituency there were 1,710 pupils recorded on the January 2011 school census returns as known to be eligible for FSM or to be service children. The total number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in the Carlisle constituency may be higher, but it is not possible to identify the number of pupils in each parliamentary constituency recorded as being in care or recorded in the alternative provision census as, in both cases, the returns are provided at local authority level rather than at establishment level.

Schools: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on schools in Liverpool of reductions in his Department's budget in 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: In October 2010, the Government announced that funding for schools would be maintained at flat cash per pupil over the spending period. This means that, as the number of pupils rise, the overall budget will rise in line. The Government also announced a pupil premium for deprived pupils, which will rise to £2.5 billion by 2014-15. In 2011-12, Liverpool received £8.88 million from the pupil premium and £12.3 million in capital allocations. Funding levels for individual local authorities beyond 2012-13 have not yet been set.

Secondary Education: Gifted Children

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of maintained secondary schools had nominated at least one pupil for the Gifted and Talented programme as at the end of each year of the programme.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold this information in the form requested.
	In state-funded primary schools there were 353,865 pupils in the Gifted and Talented cohort, a small decrease from 365,970 in 2010, and representing 8.6% of the school population. In state-funded secondary schools there were 464,040 pupils in the Gifted and Talented cohort, a small decrease from 481,225 in 2010, and representing 14.2% of the school population.
	CfBT Education Trust completed its three-year contract with the Department to manage the Gifted and Talented programme on 31 March 2010.
	The identification of gifted and talented pupils has always been left to schools. The Government's approach is to give school leaders greater power and control to drive improvement in their schools so that they have the freedom and flexibility to offer tailored educational opportunities that will ensure that the most academically able children receive appropriate challenge and stretch.

Sixth Form Colleges: Safety

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the updated health and safety guidance for schools and local authorities issued in July 2011 also applies to sixth form colleges; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education's updated health and safety advice to schools issued in July last year summarises how existing health and safety law affects employers, be that the local authority or governing body depending on the type of institution. This advice is not statutory guidance but it summarises the legal duties and powers under health and safety legislation. Sixth form colleges are covered by the same health and safety legislation and may therefore find the updated advice useful to inform their approach to health and safety but it is not statutory.
	The DFE guidance is due for review during the summer of 2012 and I will ask officials to discuss it with the Association of Colleges and the Sixth Form Colleges' Forum.

Skerton Community Primary School

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions have taken place between his Department and Lancashire County Council on the future of the Skerton Community Primary School site.

Nick Gibb: No discussions have taken place between the Department for Education and Lancashire county council on the future of Skerton Community Primary School.
	Under Schedule 35A to the Education Act 1996 consent is required of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), before land at a community school can be disposed of or appropriated by a local authority. This applies to any community school land where that land has been used wholly or mainly for such a school in the eight years preceding the date of disposal. This long-standing provision is to allow the Secretary of State for Education to consider the suitability of community school land for use by an Academy or Free School.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration: EU Grants and Loans

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what written representations he has made to Commissioner Hedgegaard on UK readiness to co-finance carbon capture and storage projects under the NER300 process.

Charles Hendry: None. DG Climate are expected to seek formal assurances regarding member state support for successful NER300 projects in the autumn, before finalising Award Decisions and announcing projects at the end of the year. My officials are in contact with DG Climate to ensure the UK and European processes synchronise.

Carbon Sequestration: EU Grants and Loans

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assurances representatives of the European Commission's DG Climate have sought on the UK's readiness to co-finance carbon capture and storage projects under the NER300 process.

Charles Hendry: DG Climate are expected to seek formal assurances regarding member state support for successful NER300 projects in the autumn, before finalising award decisions and announcing projects at the end of the year. My officials are in contact with DG Climate to ensure the UK and European processes synchronise.

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change incurred nil expense in relation to Christmas trees or other Christmas decorations in 2011.

Environment Protection: Employment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the impact assessment for the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that would be lost in the insulation industry if the average annual take-up rate of (a) loft insulation fell from 1,060,000 to 70,000 and (b) cavity wall insulation fell from 510,000 to 170,000 installations.

Gregory Barker: DECC's impact assessment, published in November 2011, estimated that each year, £1.3 billion will be spent by energy companies and over £700 million in private finance on energy efficiency—meaning investment in the sector will be higher than ever before. It estimated that the Green Deal and ECO will support growth in employment in the insulation sector from 27,000 to 65,000 by 2015.
	We are currently in the process of updating the impact assessment. This will take account of new research, and developments such as the £200 million announced in the Autumn Statement to drive the early uptake of the Green Deal. The final impact assessment will be published alongside the Government response to the consultation.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held by the Government. Providing an answer would incur disproportionate cost. However, this information is held on the European Commission's EUR-Lex website:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC is the lead Department responsible for the following EU directives and regulations which have not yet been fully implemented by the UK Government (this list does not include legislation made by the European Commission; or EU directives and regulations which have been implemented by the UK Government but where implementation remains to be completed by Gibraltar or by the devolved Administrations):
	Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (came into force 25/06/2009);
	Directive 2009/29/EC to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the Community (came into force 25/06/2009);
	Directive 2009/31/EC on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (came into force 25/09/2009);
	Directive 2009/119/EC imposing an obligation to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil and/or petroleum products (came into force 29/10/2009);
	Directive 2011 /70/EURATOM establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste (came into force 22/08/2011);
	Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency (came into force 28/11/2011).
	EU directives and regulations become EU law when they enter into force, which is usually 20 days following their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The date for transposition in the UK is usually a year or more later.

European Investment Bank

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to be notified by the European Commission's DG Climate of the relative positions of UK projects in the ranking prepared by the European Investment Bank of proposals submitted under the NER300 process.

Charles Hendry: DG Climate is expected to approach member states to inform them of the relative positions of their projects shortly after the EIB 9 February deadline. No formal announcements will be made until Award Decisions are made at the end of the year. My officials will be in regular informal contact with DG Climate throughout the year.

Homesun Holdings

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what legal costs his Department has incurred in the case of Homesun Holdings Ltd v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Gregory Barker: I estimate that the Government have incurred costs of approximately £66,400 to date in relation to the application for judicial review made jointly by Homesun, Solarcentury and Friends of the Earth. In the event that we are successful on appeal we would expect to recover all, or a substantial proportion, of our costs.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Scottish farmers have received in subsidies from the EU in each of the last five years.

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Scottish farmers have received in subsidies from the EU in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

James Paice: The available figures, in euros and relating to the EU CAP finance year running from 16 October to 15 October, are given as follows. They include all payments under the common agricultural policy European agricultural guarantee fund and the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD) programmes (direct payments and rural development respectively) and also include the co-financed element of the EAFRD payments funded by the Scottish Government. Figures for the 2010-11 year are provisional.
	
		
			  € 
			 2006-07 671,471,108 
			 2007-08 791,751,369 
			 2008-09 702,236,975 
			 2009-10 776,975,944 
			 2010-11 825,013,205

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legal obstacles prevent the enactment of a ban on wild animals in circuses in the UK.

James Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin) on 3 October 2011, Official Report, columns 1405-06W. We are also considering the relevance of a judgment of the Austrian Constitutional Court that was published on 21 December 2011 and whether it is relevant to the legal position here.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the recent decision by the Austrian Constitutional Court, whether she has taken further legal advice on the legality of a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 17 January 2012, Official Report, column 734W.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 456W, on animal welfare: circuses, and with reference to the findings of the Radford Report, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of available scientific evidence on which her Department can base its conclusion that it will be possible to introduce a set of enforceable standards that will ensure the welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses.

James Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 456W.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 733-4W, on animal welfare: circuses, which licensing systems for animal welfare in the UK her Department has considered in its assessment; and what evidence was available to her Department on the efficacy of such licensing systems and their operation.

James Paice: There are currently a number of animal welfare licensing systems operating in England, including for: zoos, dangerous wild animals kept in private ownership, pet shops, riding schools, greyhound tracks, kennels and catteries, and dog breeding establishments. In particular, the standards required by the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice) have been considered in the development of our proposed licensing scheme for wild animals in travelling circuses.
	DEFRA keeps all its licensing schemes under review and we are not aware of any evidence that there are any inherent problems with the concept of licensing to safeguard animal welfare.

Animal Welfare: Exports

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency budget was allocated to the inspection of live animal export shipments from UK ports in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Paice: There is no specific budget for the inspection of live animal export shipments from UK ports. While some of this work is carried out by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) inspectors, the majority is undertaken by private veterinarians appointed as official vets to work on AHVLA’s behalf, and these inspections are paid for by the exporter.

Animal Welfare: Exports

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency are responsible for inspecting live animal export shipments from UK ports.

James Paice: Resourcing portal inspections is largely dependent upon the number of vehicles coming in, and the risk these represent. As a minimum, portal inspections and supervised loadings are normally undertaken by one inspector although this may change if there are circumstances to warrant it.
	These inspections form a very small percentage of the overall work undertaken by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency staff at ports in GB.

Dangerous Dogs

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991;
	(2)  what discussions she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with ministerial colleagues on the powers of local authorities relating to the control of dogs; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The issue of dangerous dogs is one that encompasses several Government Departments. In particular, DEFRA Ministers have been in discussion with colleagues in the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department for Communities and Local Government over the development of a package of measures aimed at promoting more responsible ownership of dogs. Discussions have included powers available to local authorities to deal with the control of dogs. I anticipate further discussions with colleagues on this issue will be taking place.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts her Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The information in the format requested is not held centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his previous question which was published on 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 735W.

Departmental Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on recruitment agencies in each month since September 2011.

Richard Benyon: Since September 2011, the Department has spent the following on recruitment agencies since September 2011 in core DEFRA:
	
		
			  £ 
			 September 26,010.00 
			 October 5,940.00 
			 November 0 
			 1-19 December 0 
			 Total 31,950 
		
	
	These figures comprise of costs involved in using Executive Search Providers, including the outsourcing of recruitment activity to third parties.

Dogs: Tagging

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2012, Official Report, column 363W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, on dogs: tagging, if she will publish her Department's assessment of all aspects of microchipping.

James Paice: We are currently working on a package of measures to tackle irresponsible dog owners. This will be announced soon and will include details of the benefits of compulsory microchipping of dogs.

Fisheries

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the number of days fishermen can spend at sea on the ability of the UK fishing fleet to use increased quotas of certain fish stocks;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effect of the outcome of the recent EU Fisheries Council on the number of fishing vessels that will be viable in 2012;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the number of fishing vessels in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland that will be affected by the reduction in the number of days fishermen can spend at sea;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the effect of the reduction in the number of days fishermen can spend at sea on the financial viability of the fishing fleet in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Richard Benyon: At the December Fisheries Council, we achieved an agreement that included significantly larger quota opportunities for British vessels than originally proposed by the European Commission. We also agreed much smaller reductions in days at sea for those parts of the fleet subject to the Cod Recovery Plan than were in prospect at the start of the Council.
	The effect of the package on different parts of the fleet around the United Kingdom will vary according to the combination of quota and days at sea changes that affects different vessels, as well as the extent to which previous days at sea allocations were fully used. Also, the choices made by skippers to maximise their profitability, which may include participation in conservation initiatives that either exempt them from days at sea restrictions or allow an increase in their days at sea.

Fishing Catches

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what her policy is on over-fishing; what recent representations she has received on the issue; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on over-fishing in EU waters; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what reports she has received of overfishing in each country in the EU; what discussions she has had with her counterpart in each EU member state on this issue since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Overfishing puts at risk the long term health of both fish stocks and the livelihoods of fishermen who depend on them; domestically, overfishing by UK fishermen risks prejudicing the legitimate fishing opportunities of other UK fishermen. It is therefore important that there are effective and dissuasive measures in place to discourage overfishing and, where it does occur, to penalise transgressors. This may include criminal prosecution as well as a requirement to pay quota penalties and to compensate others prejudiced by such actions.
	In discussions with the EU Fisheries Commissioner and Ministers from other EU countries, I have made clear we must have a Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) that safeguards our fish stocks for the future, for the benefit of both fish stocks and fishermen. This must be a fundamental demand of CFP reform.

Forestry Commission

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the relevance to her Department's policies of the recommendations in the report commissioned by the Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government on supporting biomass electricity in the Renewables Obligation (Scotland); and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The Government Bioenergy Strategy, due for publication shortly, will set out the framework for future UK bioenergy policy and, along with evidence received as part of the consultation process, will support the Renewable Obligation Review. The Scottish Government have been providing their views on the strategy, drawing on the carbon research recently published by Forestry Commission Scotland. That evidence, alongside other issues, will be considered as part of the continuing development of the strategy.

Habitats Regulations

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of the Habitats Regulations between July 2011 and 29 November 2011; and on what dates any meetings to discuss this matter took place.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), had a number of discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), between July 2011 and 29 November 2011 on the implementation of the Habitats Directive.

Hydroelectric Power

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applicants for hydro-electric power schemes there have been; and what progress she has made with the Nene Valley Hydro group scheme.

Richard Benyon: In 2011 the Environment Agency received 203 pre-applications and 101 formal applications for hydro-electric power schemes for England and Wales.
	The Environment Agency's account manager for hydro power proposals has been in regular contact with the Nene Valley Hydro Group regarding their proposals for hydro schemes at six sites along the River Nene. The Environment Agency has attended a number of meetings with the group to discuss both general principles and site specific details. These discussions have enabled the group to progress its most advanced scheme (Hardwater Mill) and the Environment Agency continues to support the group further in the implementation of its other proposals.

Lakes and Reservoirs

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage farmers and landowners to excavate and install lakes and reservoirs.

James Paice: The Water White Paper published last December summarised the Government’s support to farmers to improve the management of water resources, including by the building of reservoirs. DEFRA’s surveys show that around one third of farms which are equipped to irrigate in England already have winter storage reservoirs. The Government encourage farmers to invest in building safe reservoirs through a number of measures, which include:
	The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which has provided support for water management, including supporting the construction of 41 on-farm reservoirs and providing information and training on irrigation and soil management. Water management continues to be one of the measures supported by the new nationally consistent RDPE funded schemes. These are the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme, a small grants scheme launched last November, and the Rural Economy Grant, which is a grant scheme for larger projects to be launched in early 2012.
	The Environment Agency can provide advice on positioning and construction methods for reservoirs to help farmers ensure they are safe and fit for purpose. The Government are working with the Environment Agency to develop technical guidance for farmers.
	The Farming Advice Service has expanded the scope of its advice from 1 January 2012 and includes advice on abstraction licensing and on climate change adaptation, including water management.
	The Water White Paper also gave further information on the Government’s commitment to reform the abstraction management regime. A key objective of this reform is to provide clearer signals to abstractors such as farmers to invest to meet water needs and protect water ecosystems, for example, through investment in reservoirs.
	The report on the Farming Regulation Task Force included recommendations on the regulation of on-farm reservoirs and on the licensing of abstraction. The Government response will be published early this year and set out our response to these recommendations.

Natural Capital Committee

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what criteria she proposes the Natural Capital Committee will use to determine if natural assets are being used unsustainably; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what indicators she proposes the Natural Capital Committee will use to report to Government on the state of natural capital in England.

Richard Benyon: The Natural Capital Committee will advise the Government on the state of English natural capital and it will be set up initially for the duration of this Parliament. Recruitment for the positions of Chair and Members of the Committee is under way. Once this is completed it will be for the Committee, as an independent advisory body, to develop suitable methodologies and approaches that will enable it to advise the Government in accordance with its remit, including in relation to unsustainable use of natural capital.

Nature Conservation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to stop the sale of endangered species as pets.

Richard Benyon: The UK Government are a party to the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES), which seeks to regulate commercial trade in specimens of listed species of wild fauna and flora in order to ensure that any trade in endangered species is not detrimental to their long-term survival. However, those species most at risk are listed on appendix I of CITES, and their importation for commercial purposes, including their sale as pets, would be prohibited under CITES the sale of endangered species taken from the wild can be allowed as long as it is sustainable.

Rivers: Surrey

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of river flows in Surrey and West Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency continuously monitors river flows of the major rivers in Surrey and West Sussex. River flows are compared to long term averages, mapped and summarised in monthly Water Situation Reports on the Environment Agency's website:
	http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
	The last 15 months in Surrey and West Sussex have been the driest since 1996. However, despite the impact of rain in December, the Rivers Ouse, Adur, Cuckmere and Arun in Sussex and the Mole and Wey in Surrey are either "low" or "notably low" when compared to average flows for this time of year. Low river flows can affect water supplies, business and the environment. The Environment Agency continues to work closely with local communities and the water supply companies to minimise the impact.
	The Environment Agency completed a detailed screening of water abstractions in West Sussex and Surrey, as part of the Restoring Sustainable Abstraction initiative. This did not highlight any significant issues, and there is no evidence that unsustainable abstraction is an issue affecting river flows in West Sussex and Surrey. The current low flows being measured and reported by the Environment Agency on their website are caused by the period of significantly dry weather we have been experiencing in the South East.
	More broadly the Environment Agency is taking action to investigate and identify solutions to unsustainable abstraction. On 8 December 2011, I launched a new approach to water management as set out in Water for Life, the Water White Paper. In particular it includes a package of measures to help us do this more efficiently and promote increased trading of abstraction licences to support economic growth.

Water: Climate Change

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has assessed the available annual water resource in the UK under the (a) 2°C and (b) 4°C global temperatures increase scenario.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Environment Agency and UK Water Industry Research are jointly funding a project to look at changes in river flows and groundwater levels associated with the UKCP09 climate projections. These are not specifically 2°C and 4°C global temperature increase scenarios, but they will provide a useful guide to the range of possible changes in flow. The project will finish in April 2012. Initial results, showing changes in flow in the 2050s for the medium emissions scenario, were included in the recently published "Water for Life" White Paper.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: Public Appointments

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he plans to announce the appointment of the next Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland; and what account he has taken in the recruitment process of the need to address the under representation of the Protestant community in recruitment to parts of the public sector.

Hugo Swire: The appointment of the chief executive of the Equality Commission is a matter for the Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission and Commission Members.
	The appointment process for a new Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission is being conducted in compliance with all relevant statutory duties and guidelines. We hope to announce the result shortly.

TRANSPORT

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of vehicles which used the Dartford crossing in each of the last 18 months;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the amount of toll revenue which accrued from vehicles using the Dartford crossing in each of the last 18 months.

Michael Penning: The Dartford crossing encompasses the two tunnels and the QE2 bridge and charging applies in both directions. The figures in the table cover the Dartford crossing as a whole. It shows how many vehicles used the Dartford crossing in each of the last 18 months and also how much revenue was accrued in each month, including revenue for the escorting of abnormal loads.
	
		
			  Total traffic count Charging revenue (£) Abnormal load escort revenue (£) Total (£) 
			 2010     
			 July 4,812,796 6,691,335.77 33,465.00 6,724,800.77 
			 August 4,697,270 6,447,745.50 27,480.00 6,475,225.50 
			 September 4,444,339 6,241,370.84 26,314.00 6,267,684.84 
			 October 4,490,284 6,324,958.95 26,209.00 6,351,167.95 
			 November 4,065,869 5,791,536.88 25,872.00 5,817,408.88 
			 December 3,498,480 4,993,233.49 15,435.00 5,008,668.49 
		
	
	
		
			      
			 2011     
			 January 3,805,979 5,406,725.17 21,777.00 5,428,502.17 
			 February 3,734,975 5,321,204.20 23,753.00 5,344,957.20 
			 March 4,203,915 5,984,303.38 25,074.00 6,009,377.38 
			 April 4,236,731 5,957,905.99 25,053.00 5,982,958.99 
			 May 4,368,283 6,134,077.05 25,642.00 6,159,719.05 
			 June 4,413,877 1,978,882.70 28,686.00 2,007,568.70 
			 July 4,709,028 6,512,431.16 28,098.00 6,540,529.16 
			 August 4,540,045 6,417,089,32 28,603.00 6,445,692.32 
			 September 4,389,117 6,145,307.43 27,699.00 6,173,006.43 
			 October 4,424,600 6,235,793.07 27,870.00 6,263,663.07 
			 November 4,086,868 5,846,369.80 25,042.00 5,871,411.80 
			 December 4,005,654 5,647,548.15 20,309.00 5,667,857.15

Departmental Public Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of how much of the cost to the public purse of the Tyne and Wear Metro falls beyond the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Tyne and Wear Metro in each of the remaining years of the comprehensive spending review period.

Norman Baker: holding answer 20 January 2012
	The Department agreed funding with Nexus for the Tyne and Wear Metro on 2 February 2010. This included revenue support funding for the period 2010-11 to 2018-19 and capital grant funding towards the Metro Reinvigoration programme for the period 2010-11 to 2020-21.
	The sums are set out in the following tables by year:
	
		
			 Resource Grant 
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 25.3 
			 2011-12 23.9 
			 2012-13 23.1 
			 2013-14 22.7 
			 2014-15 22.2 
			 2015-16 21.7 
			 2016-17 21.5 
			 2017-18 21.4 
			 2018-19 21.2 
			 Total 203.0 
			 Note: The above figures are subject to indexation. 
		
	
	
		
			 Capital Grant 
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 34 
			 2011-12 35 
			 2012-13 35 
			 2013-14 24 
			 2014-15 23 
			 2015-16 23 
			 2016-17 16 
		
	
	
		
			 2017-18 15 
			 2018-19 15 
			 2019-20 15 
			 2020-21 15 
			 Total 250 
		
	
	The amounts of Capital Grant set out above represent a firm commitment from the Department to Nexus. In addition, an element of funding (as set out in the following table) is not subject to the firm commitment at this stage and may be subject to adjustment according to consideration of the following factors:
	the need to maintain the infrastructure to a condition that enables train services to be provided by the operator as required under the concession agreement;
	Nexus's performance to date on delivery of the Asset Renewal Plan (criteria to be agreed); and
	affordability within the context of the Department's overall budget.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 — 
			 2011-12 — 
			 2012-13 — 
			 2013-14 7 
			 2014-15 8 
			 2015-16 8 
			 2016-17 15 
			 2017-18 16 
			 2018-19 16 
			 2019-20 15 
			 2020-21 15 
			 Total 100 
		
	
	In addition to the sums set out above, there is a local contribution of 10% of the capital funding.

East Coast Railway Line

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Ministers have been involved in the decision by East Coast Trains to apply to the Office of Rail Regulation for train paths to enable them to extend their two hourly service between London and Newark Northgate.

Theresa Villiers: East Coast’s application to the Office of Rail Regulation to obtain track access rights is a matter for the train operator not for Ministers. East Coast provides train services in accordance with a services agreement with the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening). Any changes to that agreement to exercise new access rights would require ministerial approval. East Coast has not requested any such changes.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on a rail connection from the Great Western Main Line to Heathrow airport and the proposed High Speed 2 scheme.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail is currently undertaking an assessment of the proposal to build a rail connection between the Great Western main line and Heathrow airport. This will inform any decision on whether the scheme should progress. On 10 January, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced that route options should be developed for a spur link to Heathrow airport to form part of the second phase of HS2, which would be subject to future public consultation. Network Rail is working with HS2 Ltd to assess the potential interfaces between the two schemes.

Highways Agency: Motor Vehicles

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles of each type are available to incident support units in each area of the Highways Agency network; and how many such vehicles of each type were available in each of the last two years.

Michael Penning: Details of the number of incident support unit (ISU) vehicles available for use on the Highways Agency’s network, shown by area and by type, can be found in table “Strategic Road Network—ISUs by Type” which will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The table provides current figures, plus those for 2011 and 2010.

Japan Tobacco International: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in her Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010.

Norman Baker: No DFT Ministers or special advisers have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International in a departmental or ministerial capacity since May 2010. However, Japan Tobacco International's UK headquarters are based in Weybridge in the constituency of the former Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond). In his capacity as constituency MP, he received hospitality in the form of tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2010 and May 2011.

Pearson VUE

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have met with representatives of Pearson VUE since 25 October 2011; and what future meetings have been scheduled.

Norman Baker: Neither the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) nor other Ministers in the Department have met with representatives of Pearson VUE since 25 October 2011. Nor are any meetings scheduled at present.
	Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are routinely published every quarter and can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings

Pedestrian Crossings: Accidents

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of accidents that occurred on zebra crossings in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The Department collects information only on reported personal injury road accidents. The number of accidents involving pedestrian casualties that occurred on zebra crossings in Great Britain in 2010 was 764. This total excludes accidents on zebra crossings that did not involve pedestrian casualties.

Pedicabs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what representations she has received on the application of traffic regulations to pedicabs since June 2010;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the safety of pedicabs;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with (a) the police and (b) the Secretary of State for the Home Department on parking and traffic offences committed by riders of pedicabs or rickshaws.

Theresa Villiers: Pedicabs outside London are already regarded in law as "hackney carriages" (taxis) and local licensing authorities have the power to license them under the existing legislation which applies to hackney carriages. However, in London, pedicabs do not fall within the legal classification of a hackney carriage and are therefore not subject to formal licensing controls.
	In London, pedicabs are the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not received any applications of traffic regulations to pedicabs since 2010.
	Enforcement of traffic regulations in London is the responsibility of Transport for London, London borough councils, the Metropolitan Police and ultimately the Home Office.
	We have no record of these matters being discussed recently.

Pedicabs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the provisions of the Disability Discrimination (Transport Vehicle) Regulations 2006 apply to pedicabs; and what assessment her Department has made of the compliance of pedicabs with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Theresa Villiers: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has now been replaced by the Equality Act 2010. Section 29 of the Equality Act essentially prohibits discrimination in the provision of services; this would include the provision of a pedicab service.
	Pedicabs outside London are already regarded in law as "hackney carriages" (taxis) and local licensing authorities have the power to license them under the existing legislation which applies to hackney carriages. However, in London, pedicabs do not fall within the legal classification of a hackney carriage and are therefore not subject to formal licensing controls.
	In London, pedicabs are the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London. As such the Department has not carried out any specific assessment of compliance with Section 29.

Pedicabs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the (a) safety and (b) roadworthiness of pedicabs.

Michael Penning: The Department has made no assessment of the safety and roadworthiness of pedicabs, however, they must comply with the requirements of the Pedal Bicycle (Safety) Regulations 2010, the Pedal Cycle (Construction & Use) Regulations 1983, the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, and if they are electrically assisted, the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983.
	If an electrically assisted pedicab is over 60 kg unladen weight, then it must also comply with the requirements of the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use Regulations) 1986 (as amended) as it is classed as a motor vehicle and would therefore need to be registered, insured and be issued with the appropriate road fund licence. The rider would also need to hold the correct licence.
	Enforcement of these requirements would be a matter for the police.

Port Security Regulations 2009

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress she has made on implementing the Port Security Regulations 2009.

Michael Penning: The Port Security Regulations 2009, which provides for the designation of port security authorities covered by Directive 2005/65/EC on enhancing port security, came into force in September 2009. A consequent pilot implementation exercise resulted in the port at Bristol being designated in March 2010.
	Subsequent to scrutiny by the European Commission of the reduced implementation programme that was notified in September 2010, the Department has been reviewing the port facilities in the UK and will set out any changes in implementation shortly. In the meantime, the Department has continued to implement the plan, challenging rigorously the impact to ensure that the regulatory burden is kept to a minimum. As a result, the designation order for the port of Dover will come into force at the end of January, and the remaining ports are now geared to the timing of an evaluation report that the European Commission is due to submit to the European Parliament in December 2013.
	In parallel, the pre-existent Port Security Committees and Police Portal Groups across the country have enabled the enhancement of port security ahead of formal implementation at the ports.

Railways: Disability

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK cities do not have disabled access at mainline railway stations.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. Information about station facilities is a matter for the Association of Train Operating Companies. They provide comprehensive information on accessibility at all stations via the National Rail Enquiries website. This allows passengers to decide if the facilities at a station allow them to access it, based on the individual nature of their disability.

Railways: Exchange Rates

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the foreign exchange rate risk was considered as part of the major projects and rail investment review.

Theresa Villiers: It is not clear which review the question is intended to relate to. If the reference in the question is to the recent study on rail value for money led by Sir Roy McNulty, I can confirm that foreign exchange risk was not an area highlighted by the report.
	The Department performs sensitivity analysis of exchange rate movements, and their repercussions on contract awards, on an ongoing basis.

Railways: Theft

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of theft of metal from railways lines there have been in (a) Newton Abbot constituency and (b) Devon in each of the last three years.

Norman Baker: Network Rail has advised that it only holds information on metal theft on railway lines at Network Rail route level, rather than in geographical regions. The Devon area now falls within Network Rail’s west of England route, for which the number of thefts is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of thefts 
			 2009-10 13 
			 2010-11 19 
			 2011-12 (to 10 December 2011) 22 
		
	
	Prior to November 2011, Network Rail’s western route included Wales. Now that Wales has been a separate route since November 2011, these numbers do not align with previously published route breakdowns.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who she consulted on her decision to alter standards in respect of (a) response time to incidents and (b) winter maintenance on roads under the jurisdiction of the Highways Agency.

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency is responsible for operating and maintaining the Strategic Road Network (SRN). In respect to service provider incident response the agency has undertaken liaison with its suppliers and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Discussions have taken place at ACPO/Highways Agency Partnership Board (November 2011) and the North West Police Liaison meeting (September 2011). This liaison was supplemented by the agency's attendance at the Roads Policing Operations Forum on 19 January 2012.
	In future, incident management will focus more on clear up times than initial incident response of service providers. With respect to closure procedures for motorway incidents, a review was carried out jointly with the Home Office, ACPO, Department for Transport (DFT) and the Highways Agency. This was undertaken to identify what can be achieved collectively to reduce incident clear up times. A preliminary report published on 19 May 2011 can be found on the DFT website under publications/roads/appraisal and evaluation or via the following link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/investigation-and-closure-procedures-for-motorway-incidents
	With respect to winter service, I can confirm that the Highways Agency has not altered its standards for winter service. Following a review of the efficiency of its winter service, the agency has made minor changes to the winter service specification, to allow its contractors greater flexibility in developing and delivering winter service treatments, while maintaining the same level and standard of service delivered over previous winter seasons.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the appropriateness of the volumes of road grit reserves.

Norman Baker: Total salt stock holdings in Great Britain at the start of December 2011 were just over 2.7 million tonnes, including strategic stockpiles of 539,000 tonnes. This is a significant improvement on the stock levels held in previous years.
	Due to the actions on winter resilience this Government have taken, we assess that the country retains an appropriate volume of road salt reserve for any severe winter weather we may encounter.

Travel Information

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to ensure that travel information is available in a variety of formats.

Norman Baker: holding answer 12 January 2012
	Travel information is primarily a responsibility of the transport operators and local government. The United Kingdom has many world-leading information services that operate at national, regional and local level and which cover single modes and multi-modal services.
	The UK Government's Transport Direct service provides journey planning between any address, postcode, settlement or transport access point across Great Britain. Journeys can be planned on any mode of transport or combination of modes. Transport Direct can be accessed via the internet, mobile phones and digital television and also, provides numerous services via third parties including the BBC, Visit Britain, the Department for Work and Pensions and the National Trust.
	Other providers include Transport for London's journey planner, National Rail, Traveline, the AA, Traffic England, Google and many others. The services include planned services, real-time information, planned and unplanned disruption and fares information.
	To ensure these services remain relevant and contemporary and also to encourage the provision of new and user-centred services, the Government encourage the transport industry to create and operate using common standards and protocols in areas such as location and service definition. They are also encouraging the adoption of open data principles with their own and wider industry data to enable the rapid creation of innovative products and services such as those delivered via mobile phone applications and user generated websites.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the Government and police.

Theresa Villiers: The use of unmanned aircraft systems is already covered by the Air Navigation Order 2009 and the Rules of the Air Regulations 2007. Guidance on the use of such aircraft is contained in the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) publication "CAP 722—Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace" which is available from the CAA website.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of air passenger duty on the airline industry.

Chloe Smith: The Government published their response to the consultation on reform of air passenger duty on 6 December.
	Air passenger duty is fundamentally a revenue-raising duty which makes an important contribution to the public finances. In meeting their revenue requirements, the Government consider aviation taxes in the round.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all taxes under review along Budget timelines.

Air Passenger Duty

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic effects of levying variable air passenger duties in different parts of the UK.

Chloe Smith: The Government published their response to the consultation on reform of air passenger duty on 6 December 2011. This can be found online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm
	The Government are committed to rebalancing the UK economy across the regions and to maintaining the status of the UK as an international hub for aviation. The Government will continue to work with stakeholders to examine the role of the tax system in support of these objectives.
	The Department for Transport is also considering regional connectivity and regional airports policy as part of its development of a sustainable framework for UK aviation, which will be issued for public consultation in March 2012.

Banks: Pay

Jason McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to make the bonuses awarded to employees of state-owned and state-funded banks more transparent.

Mark Hoban: The Government are currently consulting on extending executive pay disclosure arrangements made under Project Merlin to eight executives below board level at all large banks from 2012 onwards. This is in addition to the financial sector-wide remuneration disclosure regime introduced by the Financial Services Authority designed to facilitate better oversight of the relationship between pay and risk. These reforms will help ensure that UK disclosure requirements are the most comprehensive of any major financial centre.

Banks: Unfair Practices

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on the number of cases where banks were found to be in breach of Conduct of Business Sourcebook rules when selling hedging products to clients;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on the enforcement of the Conduct of Business Sourcebook rules on mis-selling by banks of interest rate swap products to clients.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers regularly meet with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to discuss a range of issues. The FSA, as a statutory independent body, is responsible for decisions relating to the Conduct of Business Sourcebook and its enforcement are a matter for them.

Business: Taxation

Karl McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to officials in HM Revenue and Customs on the practice of offering sweetheart deals; and what his policy is on the future of such deals.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 495W.

Child Benefit

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average annual saving to the Exchequer of abolishing child benefit for (a) higher rate taxpayers and (b) third and subsequent children for all taxpayers over the next three years.

David Gauke: Page 12 of the spending review document provides this information for abolishing child benefit for higher rate taxpayers:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_completereport.pdf
	An estimate of the saving for abolishing child benefit for third and subsequent children would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Climate Change Levy

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the spending cap to be reached for every policy covered by his Department's Control framework for Department of Energy and Climate Change levy-funded spending.

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	Under the terms of the levies control framework, DECC's levies policies have an aggregate annual spending limit as set out in the following table. We are currently working through consultation responses on both the Feed In Tariffs Review and the Renewables Obligation Banding Review and so it is impossible to provide up-to-date estimates of future projections. However, current deployment trends suggest we expect to reach the levies caps in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
	
		
			 Spending review levies b udgets 
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 2,094 
			 2012-13 2,627 
			 2013-14 3,184 
			 2014-15 3,870

Community Development Tax Relief

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Community Development Tax Relief Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: At Budget 2011 the Government announced they will renotify community investment tax relief to the European Commission and consult in advance of renotification on how the scheme can be made more effective.

Cooperatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps (a) his Department and (b) those bodies for which his Department is responsible are taking to mark UN Year of the Co-operative 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury will work closely with Cabinet Office, the Mutuals Taskforce and with Co-operatives UK to develop and take full advantage of opportunities to celebrate the achievements of co-operative organisations during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.
	The Mutuals Taskforce is co-ordinating Departments’ support for the International Year of Co-operatives, with Co-operatives UK leading the taskforce's work in this area.

Credit Reference Agencies: Scotland

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will estimate the (a) credit rating an independent Scotland would receive from international ratings agencies and (b) the 10 year bond spread that an independent Scotland could expect when borrowing.

Mark Hoban: The judgments involved in assessing credit ratings are a matter for the international ratings agencies. In recent months, the major credit rating agencies have re-affirmed the UK rating at triple-A with a stable outlook. As part of the United Kingdom, Scotland clearly benefits from the UK's strong credit rating. UK Government bond yields are currently at record lows. It would be a matter for credit rating agencies to decide if an independent Scotland would have a triple-A rating, and how the financial markets view the terms of independence could have an impact on its borrowing costs.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government do not hold the information requested on implementation of EU regulations by France and Germany.
	Information on HM Treasury's implementation of regulations is not currently held centrally. I have asked my officials to compile this information to the extent possible and I will write to the hon. Member with details when these are available and deposit a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the introduction of Machine Game Duty on (a) seaside tourism and (b) city centres.

Chloe Smith: The latest assessment of the impact of Machine Games Duty (MGD) on individuals and businesses is available in the Tax Information and Impacts Note published on 6 December 2011 together with draft legislation for MGD.
	This publication can be found online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/machine_games_duty.pdf
	The detailed tax impact on, and within, specific gambling sectors will be estimated after MGD rates are set.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of machine gaming duty on (a) jobs and (b) businesses in the amusement sector.

Chloe Smith: The latest assessment of the impact of machine games duty (MGD) on individuals and businesses is available in the Tax Information and Impacts Note published on 6 December 2011 together with draft legislation for MGD.
	This publication can be found online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/machine_games_duty.pdf
	The detailed tax impact on, and within, specific gambling sectors will be estimated after MGD rates are set.

Financial Services

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the quality of data published by banks on their lending activities to businesses in deprived areas; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of households who do not have (a) a bank account, (b) a private pension, (c) home insurance and (d) life insurance (i) in total and (ii) resident in the poorest five per cent. of local authority wards; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate has been made of the number of adults without access to a bank account in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will take steps to encourage (a) banks, (b) payday lenders, (c) insurance companies, (d) private pension fund providers and (e) other financial services businesses to publish their (i) lending, (ii) insurance and (iii) take-up by (A) postcode area and (B) local authority ward area; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The following table from HM Treasury's “Statistical Release: Households without access to bank accounts 2008-2009”, shows the most up-to-date figures for the number of unbanked broken down by number of adults and households.
	
		
			 Table 1: Unbanked (without access to transactional account) 
			  Households without transactional account—positively affirmed no account Adults without access to transactional account—positively affirmed no account 
			  Thousand Percentage of total Thousand Percentage of total 
			 2008-09 1,140 4 1,540 3 
			 2007-08 1,280 5 1,750 4 
			 2006-07 1,410 5 1,920 4 
			 2002-03 2,570 10 3,570 8 
		
	
	Data from the Family Resources Survey indicates that in 2009-10, 36% of people aged 16 to 64 in Great Britain (14 million) were contributing to private pensions—38% of men and 34% of women.
	In general, the Government do not require businesses to publish data relating to the geographical distribution of their customers.

Gift Aid

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider relaxing the requirement that in order to claim 25 per cent. Gift Aid, charities must write a letter to the donor on each occasion a donated item is sold.

Chloe Smith: Gift aid applies only to gifts of money. If a donor wishes to give something other than money, gift aid cannot be applied. However, at the suggestion of the charity sector, HM Revenue and Customs has allowed existing gift aid legislation to be applied to the proceeds of charity shop sales. To qualify for gift aid treatment, the charity and donor must agree that the charity is selling the goods as the donor's agent. The donor must be able to choose to keep the sale proceeds if they wish.
	Accordingly, charities will write to the donor when they want to make a gift aid repayment claim that includes the proceeds of the sale of the item. If a charity has a number of items to sell on behalf of a donor, the charity need not write multiple letters but can wait until all the items have been sold before contacting the donor.
	The charity must inform the donor of the amount raised by the sale so that the donor can make a decision as to whether to donate the proceeds and assure themselves that they have paid, or will pay, sufficient tax to cover the gift aid reclaimed by the charity. Without this information, the donor cannot be said to have made a valid donation for gift aid purposes.
	Further information on how the scheme works is available online at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift_aid/rules/retail.htm
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all taxes, and tax reliefs, under review along Budget timelines.

Income Tax

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of income tax revenue was derived from the (a) first, (b) second, (c) third and (d) fourth quartile of earners in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

David Gauke: Projected shares of income tax liabilities arising for individuals in the four quartiles of the distribution of income taxpayers by total income is provided in the following table. All additional and higher rate taxpayers are in the fourth quartile.
	
		
			  Share of total tax liabilities (Percentage) 
			 Taxpayer quartile by total income 2010-11 2011-12 
			 First 2.6 2.4 
			 Second 8.4 7.9 
			 Third 16.6 15.8 
			 Fourth 72.4 73.9 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes projected in line with the Office of Budget Responsibility’s budget 2011 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
	Further information on the distribution of taxpayer incomes and income tax liabilities is published in table 2.4 “Shares of total income (before and after tax) and income tax for percentile groups, 1999-00 to 2011-12”, available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-4.pdf

Insurance: Floods

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 December 2011, Official Report, columns 140-1WS, on flood risk management, what meetings (a) have taken place since 19 December 2011 and (b) are planned between officials and Ministers in his Department to discuss progress on ensuring the universal availability of flood insurance from July 2013.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
	The Government remains committed to making sure flood insurance remains widely available, and will continue to work with insurance companies to consider what additional measures might help safeguard the affordability of flood insurance for households. As part of this ongoing work the feasibility, value for money and deliverability of targeting funds to help those most in need will be considered, building on the analysis undertaken by the working groups established after last year's flood summit.
	The Government continue to consider options over the winter months with the aim of making further announcements in the spring.

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to review the budget allocated to the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme.

David Gauke: There are no plans to review the budget allocated to the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme at this stage.

Loans

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was owed to the UK, and by which countries, in the last year for which figures are available.

Chloe Smith: The information is as follows:
	Bilateral loan to Ireland
	It is in our national interest that the Irish economy is successful and its banking system is stable. With this in mind, UK signed an agreement with Ireland for a bilateral loan of £3.2 billion. The first tranche of £403.37 million was disbursed on 14 October 2011.
	FSCS loan to Iceland
	In November 2008, following the Financial Services Authority's announcement that the UK branch of Landsbanki was in default, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) began payouts to UK depositors with Icesave. The FSCS made payments of approximately £4.5 billion to UK depositors in Icesave. As at 31 March 2011 these payments were made up of three different tranches:
	£2.3 billion for deposit balances up to €20,887 (£16,872) which should have been paid by the Icelandic Depositors and Investor Guarantee Fund (DIGF);
	£1.4 billion for deposit balances above £16,872 and below £50,000 which the FSCS is liable for.
	£0.8 billion for deposit balances above £50,000 which HM Treasury is liable for.
	Therefore the Iceland Depositors and Investor Guarantee Fund owes the UK approximately £2.3 billion. The Government expect this to be repaid in full.
	UK's  o fficial  r eserves
	As at 31 March 2011, the UK Government's official holdings of international reserves were approximately £53 billion, of which £35 billion were held in foreign currency assets. The majority of these holdings are in bonds issued or guaranteed by national governments (eg the US, euro area countries and Japan).

Manufacturing Industries

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect of the outsourcing of services in the manufacturing sector on its assessed contribution to GDP in National Statistics over the last 30 years.

Chloe Smith: The outsourcing of services previously-undertaken by the manufacturing sector would have an impact on the composition of measured GDP. However, due to data constraints, no assessment of this impact has been made.
	Any statistical impact would result from the movement of the output associated with these services from the manufacturing sector to the service sector. Holding all else constant this would result in a decline in the manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP and an increase in the service sector contribution. However, there would be no overall change to GDP itself.

Mortgages

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has for future regulation of buy-to-let mortgage loans.

Mark Hoban: The Government recognises the importance of the private rental sector to accommodate people’s housing needs. Buy-to-let properties, which currently represent around one third of the privately rented stock, make an important and valuable contribution.
	The European Commission has proposed a directive on the regulation of residential mortgages. The Government believes that buy-to-let mortgages should be exempt from the directive.
	While the Government continues to negotiate for an exemption for buy-to-let lending from the directive, we are working with industry and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to limit the impact of any potential future regulation on the buy-to-let market.

Revenue and Customs: Industrial Disputes

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to ensure that members of the public are able to obtain assistance and advice on the deadline for online self-assessment returns in the event of industrial action by HM Revenue and Customs employees.

David Gauke: The Government consider that the planned potential industrial action on 31 January is unnecessary.
	HMRC has well-established contingency plans in place and is doing everything possible to support customers on the self-assessment online filing deadline.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is on charging penalties for late return if the delay is the fault of HMRC.

David Gauke: In any case where HMRC accepts that a taxpayer has a reasonable excuse for the late submission of a return, legislation allows for any late-return penalty to be removed. It is not possible to say that something always would, or would not, be a reasonable excuse because every case is considered on its own merits. However, if a taxpayer would have submitted a return on time but fails to so as a direct result of a failing or delay by HMRC, HMRC would accept that there is a reasonable excuse and cancel the penalty.
	If HMRC do not agree that there is a reasonable excuse, the taxpayer can appeal to an independent tribunal.

Tax Evasion

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of tax evasion.

David Gauke: The Government are determined to tackle tax evasion of all kinds and ensure that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently for all. As part of the 2010 spending review settlement we announced that just over £900 million would be made available to HMRC to step-up their activity in tackling tax loss. For the four-year period from April 2011 HMRC will reinvest £917 million of the savings they make to maximise additional revenues, which will include putting extra resource into tackling both evasion and avoidance. This reinvestment will fund a range of measures which will enable HMRC to bring in around £7 billion each year in additional revenues by 2014-1 5.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to introduce minimum pay for self-employed workers when calculating tax credits in respect of the Government's plans for universal credit.

David Gauke: The Government have no current plans to introduce minimum pay for self-employed workers when calculating tax credits in respect of their plans for universal credit.

Unpaid Taxes

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax was unpaid in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of collecting all unpaid tax in each of the next three years.

David Gauke: The amounts of unpaid tax are shown in the HMRC Consolidated Accounts and Trust Statements for each of the last three years. These can be found on the HMRC website. The overall costs of collecting taxes are spread across a number of HMRC business units and it is not possible within the cost parameters to specify the amounts.

VAT

Albert Owen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the effect on small businesses of making online submission of VAT returns compulsory from April 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC ran a formal consultation exercise (from 8 August to 31( )October 2011) which asked for comments and volumetrics on how those customers might be impacted.
	HMRC has published its response to the consultation on its website:
	http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_ ConsultationDocuments&propertyType=document&columns-1&id=HMCE_PROD1_031788
	HMRC also published details of the help and support available to customers on the 'What's New' section of its website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm

VAT: Fraud

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of VAT fraud within the EU emissions trading system in each year since 2008.

David Gauke: The total cost to the Exchequer of VAT fraud involving EU emission allowances was almost £300 million, all of which occurred in 2009. HMRC is relentlessly pursuing all those involved and the net loss to the Exchequer will be significantly lower. Anti-fraud legislation has since removed the scope for this type of VAT fraud to be perpetrated.

VAT: Repayments

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many small and medium-sized businesses were rejected repayment agreements in respect of their VAT liability in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date;
	(2)  how many small and medium-sized businesses were granted repayment agreements in respect of their VAT liability in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date.

David Gauke: The information is not available and could be researched only at disproportionate cost.

Working Tax Credit: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many households in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency in receipt of working tax credit were working less than 24 hours per week in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many households in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency will no longer be entitled to tax credits following the introduction of changes to credits from April 2012.

David Gauke: In December 2011, there were around 200 couples with children in Shrewsbury and Atcham in receipt of working tax credit working fewer than 24 hours per week.
	HMRC estimate around 1,700 households in Shrewsbury and Atcham will see their tax credit award reduced to zero following changes from April 2012, principally due to the removal of the second income threshold of child tax credit.

CABINET OFFICE

Big Society Capital

Andrew Love: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much money Big Society Capital has raised from dormant accounts in banks, building societies and other financial institutions since its inception; what estimate he has made of the amounts that will be raised in each year to 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Government have committed that the Big Society Bank will be established using every penny of dormant bank and building society money available for spending in England as identified in the Dormant Bank and Building Societies Act 2008.
	The dormant accounts scheme is administered by Reclaim Fund Ltd which has begun to receive dormant account money from a number of banks and building societies since its establishment last year. Reclaim Fund Ltd will hold back a portion of this money to meet claims from customers, and release any surplus for spending on social purposes.
	Reclaim Fund Ltd has so far released £47.6 million for spending on social purposes. This money will be apportioned between the four countries of the UK and the English portion will be transferred to Big Society Capital once it has been authorised by the FSA. Indications are that Reclaim Fund will release a total of around £60 million for social purposes by summer 2012. This will be followed by further releases determined by Reclaim Fund Ltd's independent board and based on the observed rate of reclaim of dormant accounts. The British Bankers' Association estimates that the total amount available in dormant accounts may be of the order of £320-400 million.

Charitable Donations

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to incentivise employers to offer payroll giving opportunities to their employees; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office has been gathering views from Payroll Giving agencies (the charities that process employer donations) as well as existing online giving providers and key sector groups with a view to understand ways in which the Payroll Giving system might be improved.
	The National Payroll Giving Excellence Awards were successfully re-launched in October 2011 at 11 Downing Street. This included the announcement of a new Platinum Quality Mark to recognise the very best employer payroll giving work.
	The Cabinet Office is looking to work with large public and private sector employers with a view to generate behavioural insights into payroll giving based on their experience.
	The Government are further co-ordinating their work on Payroll Giving. The inaugural Payroll Giving Working Group met in early November 2011 and pages have been created on the Civil Pages site for information exchange between Payroll Giving representatives from Government Departments and agencies.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Business and Enterprise, my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk), today.

Families

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of children live with (a) married (first time marriage), (b) married (reconstituted), (c) divorced (living with father), (d) divorced (living with mother) and (e) separated families.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of children live with (a) married (first time marriage), (b) married (reconstituted), (c) divorced (living with father), (d) divorced (living with mother) and (e) separated families (91542).
	The number and type of children in families in the UK can be estimated using the Labour Force Survey. Estimates are provided for dependent children which are those living with their parent(s) and either (a) aged under 16, or (b) aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, excluding children aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household.
	ONS normally publishes statistics about children by family type based on who is currently living in the household, and it is not straightforward to determine which adults in a family are birth parents of a particular child or whether married adults are in a first marriage or remarriage. In the table below, married couple families and cohabiting couple families include families where:
	neither, one or both parents are birth parents; or
	neither, one or both parents have been previously married.
	
		
			 Dependent children by family type, UK 2011 
			 Family type Estimate (thousand) Percentage of children 
			 Married couple family 8,151 62 
			 Civil partner couple family 9 0 
			 Cohabiting couple family 1,839 14 
			 Lone father—divorced 83 1 
			 Lone father—other marital status 147 1 
			 Lone mother—divorced 713 5 
			 Lone mother—other marital status 2,212 17 
			 Total 13,153 100 
			 Notes:1. Estimates do not sum exactly due to rounding. 2. “Other marital status” includes single (never married), married (separated), widowed, civil partner (separated) and surviving civil partner (partner having died). 3. Cohabiting couple families also include same-sex cohabiting couples. 
		
	
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Families

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of children live in more than one household;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effect of the number of children living in more than one household on the accuracy of national statistics concerning children.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:
	1. how many and what proportion of children live in more than one household (91543);
	2. what estimate he has made of the effect of the number of children living in more than one household on the accuracy of national statistics concerning children (91544).
	The Office for National Statistics does not routinely publish estimates of the number or proportion of children who live in more than one household. However, two sources, an article about children with a non-resident parent, and the 2001 census can provide some information. Two further sources will be able to provide such an estimate in the future; the 2011 census and the longitudinal survey Understanding Society.
	A. Article ‘Children with a non-resident parent’
	The article ‘Children with a non-resident parent’ published by ONS in Population Trends 140, see:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/population-trends-rd/population-trends/no--140--summer-2010/index.html
	estimated from survey data that 3.8 million, or 30 per cent, of dependent children in Great Britain had a birth parent not living in the household in 2009. This figure will be much higher than the number of children living in more than one household because it was estimated that over half of such children never stay overnight with their non-resident parent. Only 18 per cent of children with a non-resident parent were estimated to stay with them at least once a week, so the majority of children with a non-resident parent may be considered as living in one household. There is no agreed definition of how much time a child would need to spend staying in a second household for them to be considered as ‘living in more than one household’.
	B. 2001 census
	It is possible that a child may be enumerated twice in a census, where two parents living in separate households both complete a census form for the same child. Following the 2001 census, research using the Longitudinal Study (LS) showed that a very small proportion of LS members (0.38 per cent) had been enumerated more than once in the census. Of these, less than 5 per cent were children of separated or divorced parents who were enumerated as living with both parents, see:
	http://celsius.lshtm.ac.uk/documents/LS10.pdf
	p95-97.
	Therefore the only way that children living in more than one household could affect the accuracy of national statistics concerning children is because population estimates for mid-2001 onwards are based on the 2001 census. However, it is very unlikely that any further double counting could have entered the population estimates between mid-2001 and mid-2010 through the components of birth or migration since 2001.
	C. 2011 census
	The 2011 census asked for all residents in England and Wales, including children, ‘do you stay at another address for more than 30 days a year?’. If the response was ‘yes’, the respondent was asked to provide the address and also asked about the type of second address, one listed response category being ‘another parent or guardian's address’. Analysing answers to these questions once 2011 census statistics are available will provide an insight to the number of children who live in more than one household.
	ONS has developed robust methods to adjust for double counted children enumerated at both parents addresses from published 2011 census statistics so that children living in more than one household are only counted once. Therefore the impact on population estimates for children and on survey estimates relating to children is expected to be minimal from 2011 onwards.
	D. Understanding Society
	Information on shared parenting arrangements in Great Britain is being collected in ‘Understanding Society’, a longitudinal household panel survey, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and led by the Institute of Social and Economic Research, with the survey work delivered by the National Centre for Social Research, see:
	www.understandingsociety.org.uk/
	ONS is contributing to improvements in the wording of questions on shared parenting in the Family Networks and Child Maintenance modules for Wave 5 starting in 2013 to ensure that the number of children who are resident in more than household because their parents do not live together is estimated as well as possible. Therefore it is expected that information on children living in more than one household will be available from this data source in future. However this is not an ONS survey, so ONS is not able to comment on the statistics about children from this source.

Shift Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the number of people who worked night shifts in each of the last 30 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many workers worked night shifts in each of the last 30 years.
	The available information is provided in the table. Estimates prior to 1992 are not available. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are not seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 P eople working permanent night shifts, three months ending June, 1992 to 2011, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			 1992 272 
			 1993 310 
			 1994 357 
			 1995 360 
			 1996 373 
			 1997 363 
			 1998 391 
			 1999 440 
			 2000 445 
			 2001 430 
			 2002 429 
			 2003 418 
			 2004 428 
			 2005 412 
			 2006 422 
			 2007 386 
			 2008 388 
			 2009 348 
			 2010 378 
			 2011 338 
			 Source: Labour Force Survey.

Social Impact Bonds

Andrew Love: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government has invested in social impact bonds in the latest year for which figures are available; what estimate he has made of the level of such investment in each succeeding year to 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Government have not so far acted as an investor in social impact bonds, and has no plans to do so.
	However, in September 2010 the Ministry of Justice launched the world's first social impact bond at Peterborough prison, targeting reduced rates of reoffending. Around £5 million of capital was raised from social investors and is being used to pay for services in the prison and outside in the community. Outcome-based payments to investors, linked to the success of the project in reducing reoffending, are capped at around £8 million and will be made by the Ministry of Justice and the Big Lottery Fund.
	The Government are also supporting work on other social impact bonds. This includes four potential pilot projects targeting troubled families being developed at the local level with support from the Cabinet Office. The local authorities involved are Westminster city council, the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Leicestershire county council and Birmingham city council.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Departmental business plans set out clear priorities across Government, including what we are putting in place to support the growth of Big Society, and we continue to report publicly on progress against these priorities at:
	http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/transparency/srp/
	Within Cabinet Office this includes reporting progress on initiatives such as Community Organisers, Community First, National Citizen Service, and Big Society Capital.
	In addition we are carrying out full evaluations of key Big Society programmes such as National Citizen Service to determine its effectiveness in creating a more engaged, cohesive and responsible society. Such evaluations will be fully published in due course at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Voluntary Work: Conditions of Employment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the recommendation of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations Commissioner on Big Society that the Employment Rights Act 1996 should be amended to extend employees right to take reasonable time off, with the permission of their employer, to serve a voluntary organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Giving White Paper made clear that the Government fully support and encourage organisations making time available for employees to volunteer. The Government have also made their ambitions clear with their commitment to turn the civil service into a civic service, supporting civil society organisations. This will encourage civil servants to give time by providing them with opportunities to use their skills and using volunteering as a means of learning and professional development both in terms of gaining new skills and experiences and also better understanding of the impact of government policies on the civil society sector.
	Under Every Business Commits, we are also challenging businesses to take action on priorities including promoting employee well-being and engaging with communities, with Government committing in return to encourage enterprise and reduce red tape to create the best conditions for businesses to succeed.

Working Hours

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the average number of hours worked by full-time workers in each socio-economic group in each of the last 30 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the average number of hours worked by full-time workers in each socio-economic group in each of the last 30 years.
	The table provides the information requested for the July to September quarter each year from 1992 onwards. Estimates prior to 1992 are not available. The National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification is an occupationally based classification. In 2001 the occupation classification used in the Labour Force Survey changed from SOC 1990 to SOC 2000. As a result it is not possible to provide consistent socio-economic occupation groups.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are not seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Average number of weekly hours (1)  worked by full-time (2)  workers in each socio-economic group. Three months ending September, 1992 to 2011, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Hours worked 
			  Employers and managers (lge est.) Employers and managers (sml est.) Prof workers (self-employed) Prof workers (employees) Intermediate non-manual workers Junior non-manual workers Personal service workers Foreman and supervisors (manual) 
			 1992 37.7 43.6 42.8 37.7 32.9 33.5 34.3 37.7 
			 1993 37.8 43.6 44.5 38.1 32.5 33.7 33.8 38.6 
			 1994 37.8 43.8 43.9 37.6 33.0 33.5 34.4 39.0 
			 1995 37.9 43.3 42.4 38.1 33.2 33.6 34.7 39.3 
			 1996 38.2 43.5 43.3 38.5 33.7 34.0 33.8 38.7 
			 1997 38.4 43.9 41.9 38.3 33.3 34.1 33.9 38.7 
			 1998 38.5 43.0 40.6 38.1 33.5 34.0 33.9 39.5 
			 1999 38.2 42.5 41.4 38.1 33.8 34.0 33.0 39.0 
			 2000 38.2 41.8 42.3 38.1 33.3 33.7 32.3 38.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Hours worked 
			  Skilled manual workers Semi skilled manual workers Unskilled manual workers Own account workers Farmers (employers and managers) Farmers (own account) Agricultural workers Members of armed forces All socio-economic groups(3)  
			 1992 37.4 35.8 35.8 42.0 60.9 63.6 44.9 37.3 37.2 
			 1993 37.7 35.8 35.7 42.9 60.5 62.4 44.4 34.2 37.3 
			 1994 38.5 36.1 36.2 43.1 64.0 63.7 46.4 38.9 37.7 
			 1995 38.2 36.0 36.3 42.5 62.0 63.6 46.5 37.2 37.6 
			 1996 38.8 35.9 36.3 42.7 62.2 62.2 47.4 39.1 37.8 
			 1997 38.6 36.2 36.9 42.2 65.3 62.8 45.1 40.3 37.7 
			 1998 39.3 36.5 36.5 41.5 62.7 61.2 47.1 39.6 37.7 
			 1999 39.1 36.2 36.1 41.7 61.6 61.5 47.2 37.9 37.5 
			 2000 38.4 36.1 36.2 41.6 61.7 64.7 46.1 38.9 37.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Hours worked 
			  Higher managerial and professional Lower managerial and professional Intermediate occupations Small employers and own account workers Lower supervisory and technical Semi-routine occupations Routine occupations All socio-economic groups(3)  
			 2001 38.2 35.7 33.3 44.3 38.3 35.0 38.0 37.1 
			 2002 38.4 35.6 32.8 43.6 37.7 35.1 38.0 36.9 
			 2003 38.6 35.1 32.9 43.1 37.4 35.0 37.5 36.7 
			 2004 38.1 34.9 32.9 42.7 37.6 34.3 37.1 36.4 
			 2005 37.8 35.1 33.5 42.0 37.5 34.5 37.6 36.5 
			 2006 38.0 34.9 33.1 41.9 37.3 34.1 37.5 36.4 
			 2007 38.0 35.2 33.2 41.4 37.6 34.9 37.4 36.5 
			 2008 38.2 35.4 32.8 41.5 37.2 34.2 37.4 36.4 
			 2009 37.6 34.8 33.0 41.2 37.0 34.0 36.9 36.1 
			 2010 38.0 35.3 33.4 41.5 37.2 33.8 36.9 36.4 
			 2011 38.6 35.5 33.0 41.7 37.4 35.1 37.2 36.5 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Main job only. (2) The full-time classification is based on the respondents' self-classification. (3) Includes those who did not state their socio-economic group. Note: The National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification is an occupationally based classification. In 2001 the occupation classification used in the Labour Force Survey changed from SOC 1990 to SOC 2000. As a result it is not possible to provide consistent socio-economic occupation groups. Source: Labour Force Survey

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: In 2011 the (a) Christmas tree and (b) other Christmas decorations were supplied at no cost to the Department.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 December 2010, Official Report, column 941W, on Scrooge and politically correct Grinches.

Council Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to provide funding to deal with the backlog of capital works needed to council housing; and what his policy is on the provision of such funding through rent rises.

Andrew Stunell: Last year, my Department allocated £1.6 billion over the current spending review period to 46 local authorities in England to help them address the backlog of council housing that has yet to meet the Decent Homes standard.
	The number of non-decent local authority dwellings across England was 217,100 on 1 April 2011, a 26% decrease from 291,600 on 1 April 2010.
	Rental income is another means by which local authorities can raise revenue for improvement work, but this is a matter for each individual authority to decide.

Council Tax: Sefton

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the income of Sefton borough council of proposed reform of council tax.

Bob Neill: The Government's assessments of the impact of the reforms of council tax, including those in the Local Government Finance Bill, are published at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/2053960.pdf
	and
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/2053909.pdf

Electoral Register: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has had discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister on the potential effects of funding reductions by his Department on budgets for voter registration.

Bob Neill: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from the Cabinet Office to discuss a range of matters.

EU Grants and Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much money from the European regional development fund has been (a) contracted and (b) paid to projects in each region to date;
	(2)  how much funding from the European regional development fund remains to be allocated in each region.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 13 December 2011
	The Government are on target with the current European regional development fund programme. Funds must be spent by 2015 and we have already invested some two-thirds of the moneys at a point when we are two-thirds of the way through the duration of programme. All areas have meet their 2011 spend targets. Recent funding calls have attracted high levels of interest, which reinforces the fact that we are on track to spend the remainder of the programme on target.
	I would note that the claims made by the hon. Member in his recent party political press release were wholly inaccurate. Indeed, under the last Administration, the European regional development fund was plagued by a legacy of poor administration, and the coalition Government have overhauled the management of these schemes that we have inherited.
	We have ensured that the European Commission lifted an interruption on the programme which it had ordered. These steps will also protect taxpayers from the prospect of large 'financial corrections' being levied due to poor administration, as happened under the 2000-06 European regional development fund programme. The operation of the fund is governed by complex European regulations and comes with stringent penalties if those are not met. Our firm action is helping to reduce the size of the liabilities that we inherited from the 2000-06 programme, as well as ensuring better management of the 2007-13 programme that we have inherited, by bringing it in-house and tighter audit processes.
	To place the shocking mismanagement of the last Administration in context, as outlined in the answer of 12 October 2011, Official Report, column 448W, a total £101.3 million of funding was lost through financial corrections and unrecoverable amounts arising from irregularities from the European regional development fund 2000-06 programme throughout the period 2000-11. Such losses effectively mean less money to invest in regeneration and growth.
	As noted in a recent departmental press notice, this Government inherited potential liabilities for European regional development fund projects between 2000 and 2006 estimated to be as high as £236 million, of which the Department has accepted that £38.1 million of this could not be recovered (this is included in the £101.3 million figure in the paragraph above).
	At the end of December 2011, my Department has managed to reduce the remaining figure (£198 million) to a total of £67 million (a reduction of around £131 million) and is continuing to seek recovery of the remaining amount.
	To ensure that we continue with tighter levels of control for the 2007-13 programme we have taken on independent auditors, Moore Stephens, to identify irregularities in existing claims to the European Commission; and we have overhauled the audit process to minimise errors in future claims.
	As at 30 November 2011, the following sums from the current European regional development fund 2007-13 programme had been contracted for, and paid to each part of England:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Local area Contracted Paid to p rojects 
			 East Midlands 128,925,000 65,899,074 
			 East of England 67,491,699.63 32,266,355 
			 London 112,117,174 77,615,389 
			 North East 202,170,235 126,871,643 
			 North West 445,100,000 273,744,864 
			 South East 12,971,315.80 6,550,148 
			 South West (Competitive Programme) 57,584,633 27,918,003 
			 South West (Convergence Programme) 290,253,287 126,691,760 
			 West Midlands 187,242,945 84,451,352 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 266,322,045 162,069,156 
			 Total for all England 1,770,178,334.43 984,007,774 
		
	
	As at 30 November 2011, the remaining sums from the current programme are to be allocated are listed in the following table. Again, I would note that we are on track and on target, given the timetable of the programme.
	
		
			 Local area To be allocated (£) 
			 East Midlands 103,200,000 
			 East of England 28,348,013 
			 London 46,080,472 
			 North East 119,640,235 
			 North West 180,800,000 
			 South East 8,350,940 
		
	
	
		
			 South West (Competitive Programme) 48,829,742 
			 South West (Convergence Programme) 100,766,724 
			 West Midlands 157,864,877 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 237,816,539 
			 Total for all England 1,031,697,560 
		
	
	As described in the written ministerial statement by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my noble Friend, Baroness Hanham, of 3 February 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column 86WS, local management committees, in which Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities and other local bodies are heavily involved, are charged with making decisions about where funding can best be used. European regional development fund officials are working alongside local partners in the individual fund programme areas to make sure that fund investment is taken up.
	The Government are taking a number of steps to promote match funding. My Department has carried out an exercise to identity further potential sources of match funding across Government. Last month, Ministers from my Department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills wrote to all the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Local Management Committees which now oversee European regional development fund funding locally to remind them of the availability of match funds from within government through programmes such as the Manufacturing Advisory Service, Business Coaching for Growth and UK Trade International. We have set up innovative approaches to bring in more funding for example through the regional growth fund and growing places fund.
	As announced in November's national infrastructure plan, we have also taken the initiative of using the current programme to support actively the roll-out of super-fast broadband, and my Department has been liaising with Broadband UK and the pilot broadband projects.

EU Law

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other means originated from proposals by the European Commission in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Bob Neill: In 2010, the following measures originating in EU requirements were enacted by DCLG:
	The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1456).
	In 2011, the following measures originating in EU requirements were enacted by DCLG:
	Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations (SI 2011/2741)
	Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (SI 2011/1824)
	The Architects (Recognition of European Qualifications) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/2008)
	The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/2452).
	The following provisions in the Localism Act 2011 are intended to ensure that EU regulations and directives are transposed into English law in the context of neighbourhood planning:
	paragraph 2 of schedule 9 of the Localism Act 2011 inserted sections 61E9(8), 61K(b) and (c) into the 1990;
	paragraph 5 of schedule 9 of the Localism Act 2011 inserted section 38A(6) into the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004; and
	Schedule 10 of the Localism Act which inserted paragraph 8(2)(f) of new schedule 4B into the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which EU (a) directives, (b) regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department require transposition into UK law; and what estimate he has made of the cost to (i) the public purse and (ii) the private sector of such measures.

Bob Neill: The following EU legislation affecting this Department requires transposition into UK law:
	The directive on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (85/337/EEC) (the EIA directive) and the directive on conservation of natural habitats of wild flora and fauna (92/43/EEC) (the habitats directive) require transposition in relation to proposals for neighbourhood development orders made under schedule 4B of the Town And Country Planning Act 1990 (inserted by schedule 10 of the Localism Act 2011). There is no cost to the public or private sector from implementation.
	Articles 3(2) (b) to (d) of the birds directive (2009/147/EC) requires further transposition following infraction proceedings. DEFRA is the lead Department.
	The energy performance of buildings directive (recast) (2010/31/EU) requires transposition by 9 July 2012 and must be progressively implemented from 9 January 2013. The total cost of implementation will be £4.1 million over a 30 year period. This cost falls almost exclusively on the public sector.
	The Construction Products Regulation (EU No 305/2011) comes fully into force on 1 July 2013. Although the substantive provisions are directly effective and do not require transposition, some domestic implementing measures may be needed to ensure that the regulation applies compatibly with domestic law. There is no cost to the public or private sector from implementation.
	The estimate of the cost of the cost of these measures is £4.1 million over a 30-year period.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty's Government. Providing an answer would pose a disproportionate cost. However, this information is held on the European Commission's EUR-Lex website:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: All EU regulations for which my Department is responsible, that are due, have been implemented.

European Regional Development Fund

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that regions of England access all funds available under the European regional development fund.

Grant Shapps: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blackpool South (Mr Marsden) today, PQs 86452 and 86586.

Fire Services: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) revenue and (b) capital cost was of the Eastern Region Fire Control Centre in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The revenue costs for the East of England Regional Control Centre building in Waterbeach, Cambridge for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 are shown in the table. No capital costs for the Regional Control Centre building were incurred in these three financial years.
	In 2011 DCLG have reduced the facilities management costs for the buildings by 25% and utilities by 35%, and will look to make further savings where appropriate.
	
		
			  Revenue (1,2)  (£) 
			 2009-10 1,811,315.51 
			 2010-11 1,999,452.93 
			 2011-12 2,182,591.60 
			 (1) Revenue includes: Rent and Service Charges, Fixed Maintenance and Utilities. (2) Vat is included in payments made from 1 January 2011. 
		
	
	I note that the National Audit Office report of 1 July 2011, HC 1272, on "The Failure of the FiReControl project", states:
	"The Department's failure to manage the project as a whole has resulted in the creation of empty regional control centres. The nine regional control centres were purpose-built to house the new computerised equipment and were designed specifically for that purpose. The Department's decision to prioritise the procurement of the centres over the IT system at an early stage meant that the first centres were completed in June 2007, just three months after the IT contract had been awarded."
	full report, p.8.

Fire Services: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the disposal of the Eastern Region Fire Control Centre building in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I am due to meet Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Authority shortly, to discuss a number of issues including the future of the control centre building at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire.
	I note the observations of the National Audit Office report of 1 July 2011, HC 1272, on “The Failure of the FiReControl project”. It states:
	“The FiReControl project was flawed from the outset because it did not have the support of those essential to its success—local Fire and Rescue Services. The Department rushed the start of the project, failing to follow proper procedures. Ineffective checks and balances during initiation and early stages meant the Department committed itself to the project on the basis of broad-brush and inaccurate estimates of costs and benefits and an unrealistic delivery timetable, and agreed an inadequate contract with its IT supplier. The Department under-appreciated the project's complexity, and then mismanaged the IT contractor's performance and delivery. The Department failed to provide the necessary leadership to make the project successful, over-relying on poorly managed consultants and failing to sort out early problems with delivery by the contractor. The Department took a firmer grip of the project from 2009 and terminated the contract in December 2010 to avoid even more money being wasted.” (National Audit Office press release, 1 July 2011).
	Our aim is to achieve the best possible value for money for the tax payer from the control centre buildings. Our preference is for fire and rescue authorities to use the buildings as they are purpose built for them. The decision as to whether fire and rescue services use the buildings is entirely a local matter and where local fire and rescue authorities decide this is not the best way forward for their communities, then DCLG will market the buildings more widely, including to other emergency services.

First Time Buyers

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first time buyers have participated in the (a) First Buy Shared Equity and (b) New Build Home Buy scheme since it was launched.

Grant Shapps: The FirstBuy shared equity scheme will help an estimated 10,500 aspiring home owners in England by 2013. The FirstBuy prospectus was published by the Homes and Communities Agency in April 2011 and allocations were announced in June following the bidding competition. The contracts were signed over the summer, with the first homes being available for sale from September 2011.
	Official statistics on this scheme are published by the Homes and Communities Agency bi-annually in June and November for the preceding March and September respectively. Figures published in November 2011, reflecting that first month of sales and the initial opening of the scheme, show 44 sales to the end of September. This does not reflect the take-up of the scheme subsequently, and I would note that housebuilders have found significant interest from first time buyers, reporting over 2,500 reservations following the signing of the contracts in the summer.
	As an illustration, I note that Persimmon Homes' Trading Statement of 9 January remarked:
	"Take up of the Government's FirstBuy Scheme has been encouraging."
	In addition, Barratt Homes' Trading Statement, published on 12 January, stated:
	"FirstBuy, the Government backed equity share product, will remain an important sales tool. We have made good progress in using our initial allocation of £24.9 million (1,400 units) and this success has been recognised by the Homes and Communities Agency through an additional award of £7.0 million (437 units). Shared equity remained an important selling tool throughout the period given the ongoing constraints on mortgage finance. Of these completions, 477 used the Government FirstBuy initiative."
	Figures on the New Build Homebuy can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/affordablehousing201011

Housing: Wiltshire

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the level of New Homes Bonus funding to be allocated to (a) Swindon and (b) Wiltshire in 2012-13.

Grant Shapps: The New Homes Bonus is paid to local authorities in recognition of net additions to their housing stock. It match funds the additional council tax raised using the national average in each band for new homes and long-term empty properties brought back into use, with a premium for affordable homes, for each of the following six years.
	The New Homes Bonus provisional allocation for Swindon borough council totals £2,783,259. This includes the second Year 1 instalment of £1,451,214 and the first Year 2 instalment of £1,332,046. It also includes the first affordable homes premium of £98,700.
	For Wiltshire council, the provisional bonus allocation totals £4,586,324 and includes the second Year 1 instalment of £1,841,402 and the first Year 2 instalment of £2,744,922. The affordable homes premium amounts to £257,600.
	A full list of the provisional allocations has been placed in the Library of the House and is also available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingsupply/newhomesbonus
	An announcement will be made shortly on the final allocation figures.

Local Government Finance: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department has provided to Kent County Council in each year since 2005.

Bob Neill: The total grant funding allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government to Kent county council is as follows:
	
		
			 Kent 
			  £000 
			 2005-06 934,411 
			 2006- 268,673 
			 2007-08 286,177 
			 2008-09 375,368 
			 2009-10 380,416 
			 2010-11 390,980 
		
	
	The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of:
	formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates);
	specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services) (awarded by DCLG only);
	specific grants outside Aggregate External Finance (awarded by DCLG only);
	Area Based Grant (from 2008-09); and
	‘other grants’ provided by Departments.
	These figures are taken from revenue outturn forms provided by authorities after the end of a financial year. It is not possible to disaggregate DCLG element of formula grant, Area Based Grant and other grants from grants from other Government Departments. Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and changes to funding methodology.

Local Government: Pensions

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what economic impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effect of the proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency and (b) Sunderland local authority area.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker), and the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Tristram Hunt), on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 23W.

Mobile Homes

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to review guidance issued by his Department on the management of mobile home parks.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 20 January 2012
	The Department for Communities and Local Government published model standards for all licensable residential mobile home sites in England in 2008. These are standards which local authorities must have regard to in setting conditions in licences they issue. Authorities having considered the standards are not obliged to adopt them.
	The Government are also committed to reforming the mobile home sector and giving residents better rights and protection from unscrupulous site owners. I plan to publish a consultation document in the spring on a range of measures to improve the licensing regime which applies to park home and caravan sites and prevent the unacceptable practice of sale blocking by some site owners.

Mobile Homes

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers are available to local councils to deal with owners of mobile homes who breach the guidance on the number of homes permitted on a site.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 20 January 2012
	Mobile home sites are required to be licensed under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 and use of land for stationing mobile homes on it requires planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. If the number of homes on a particular site exceed the number permitted under the licence or under the planning permission the local authority can take enforcement action to rectify the breach, including by prosecution if necessary.

Mobile Homes

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish proposals for the regulation of park homes.

Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to reforming the park homes sector and giving residents better rights and protection from unscrupulous site owners. I plan to publish a consultation document this spring on a range of measures to improve the licensing regime which applies to park home and caravan sites and prevent the unacceptable practice of sale blocking by some site owners.

Non-domestic Rates: Sefton

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the income of Sefton borough council of his proposed changes to non-domestic rates.

Bob Neill: The Government's proposals will ensure a stable starting point, so that no local authority will be worse off as a result of its business rates base at the outset of the new system.
	The impact of the Government's proposals will depend on a range of factors, including future business rates growth at the local level and the behavioural response to the changes. The proposals incorporate a range of protections to ensure councils can meet local needs, including a safety net for places in need of additional support, funded by a levy recovering a share of disproportionate gain.
	These reforms will boost local firms and local jobs as councils are given more autonomy over their own financial circumstances, and rewarded for building stronger relationships with business to strengthen the local economy. They have the potential to increase the aggregate income from business rates, compared to the status quo, due to greater enterprise and economic growth.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Antarctic Treaty

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure the enforcement of the Antarctic Treaty.

Henry Bellingham: The Antarctic Treaty provides for the designation of observers to carry out inspections to ensure the observance of the provision of the Treaty. The UK has regularly undertaken formal inspections in Antarctica, most recently in 2005-06. Reports of Antarctic Treaty Inspections can be viewed at:
	http://www.ats.aq/e/ats_governance_listinspections.htm
	Through the Royal Navy's ice patrol vessel, HMS Protector, and the British Antarctic Survey, the UK maintains an active and influential presence in Antarctica, including to ensure that the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty are implemented in the region. Any activities in the Antarctic by those with a relevant British connection require authorisation under the UK's Antarctic Act 1994 and post-visit reports are assessed to ensure full compliance with permit requirements.

Australia: Eagles

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the effect of intensive logging on the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle population with the Government of Australia.

Alistair Burt: The British Government remain concerned about the continuing loss of biodiversity globally. We are committed to promoting sustainable forest management and reducing this loss of biodiversity.
	The Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle has been listed as endangered in international, national and state legislation, however, this is an issue for the Australian federal and Tasmanian state governments.
	On 13 January 2012, the Australian and Tasmanian governments and Forestry Tasmania signed a Conservation Agreement, as part of the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement, to provide legally binding protection for an interim area of almost 430,000 hectares of forest where the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle nests.

Belarus: Freedom of Expression

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Belarus on freedom of expression in that country.

David Lidington: The Government have made a number of representations to the Belarusian authorities both in London and Minsk about the serious human rights situation in the country, including about freedom of expression. The most recent occasions were on 11 and 16 January. I have made numerous statements, for example condemning the fact that new legislation has made it all but impossible for Belarusian citizens to exercise their rights of freedom of expression and assembly, and underlining that the legislation is not in line with Belarus's obligations under international human rights law. I am deeply concerned about the constant harassment of journalists. In a recent EU statement in the OSCE, we and our EU partners urged the Belarusian authorities to stop this intimidation and to ensure that they can carry out their reporting activities in an unhindered way.

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects the Government's target to halt overall loss of biodiversity by 2020 to apply to the British Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	As stated in my reply to the hon. Member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) on 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 194W, a new global biodiversity target was agreed at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010 as part of the new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20. The Strategic Plan includes 20 headline targets for 2015 or 2020; these are called the "Aichi Targets". Both the Strategic Plan and the Aichi Targets apply to those Overseas Territories to which the Convention on Biological Diversity has been extended. These are the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
	DEFRA has recently published a paper (“The Environment in the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories: UK Government and Civil Society Support”), available to view on the DEFRA website, describing the support available to the Overseas Territories on environmental issues, from the Department, its agencies and civil society. The paper contains 10 commitments that underpin three priority areas for action to support meeting our two environmental objectives for the Overseas Territories. More specifically one of the commitments in the paper is to continue implementing the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy and to develop an implementation plan to facilitate and co-ordinate delivery of the strategy. Further to this, we are committed to continue to provide advice on the extension of our ratification of multi-lateral environment agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity to the Overseas Territories.

Burma: Political Prisoners

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the health of monk U Sandawbartha, known as U Gambira, recently released from prison in Burma.

Alistair Burt: We understand from contacts that the health of monk U Sandawbartha, known as U Gambira, has improved. Our embassy in Rangoon is in close contact with many Burmese civil society and democratic activists, including individuals recently released from prison.

Crown Dependencies

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that the contracts it awards relating to Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories go to British companies when there is no suitable local supplier.

Henry Bellingham: The Government are obliged under EU law to procure goods and services through transparent and fair competition with the successful supplier being selected on the basis of suitability and value for money.

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are solely responsible for Overseas Territory affairs; and what the (a) job title and (b) specific responsibilities are of each such official.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs more than 40 officials in London working solely on Overseas Territories affairs. They are led by the Director for the Overseas Territories (except those engaged on Gibraltar issues) who is supported by four Deputy Directors, six Section Heads and teams of Desk Officers providing thematic and territory-specific advice. Further staff are engaged on financial management and administrative support duties. The Overseas Territories are a priority area of work for the FCO in our Departmental Business Plan.

Departmental Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full- time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or back office services; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) 4,500 UK based staff some 74% are engaged on frontline activity and 26% on corporate and back office services. Frontline staff include all diplomatic activity overseas plus trade and investment and consular services. It also includes all staff dealing primarily with foreign policy from the UK. The 'back office' (corporate function staff) includes finance, human resources, information technology, security and estate management staff.
	The FCO also has nearly 8,700 locally engaged staff at overseas Posts of which around 34% are engaged on front line activity and 66% on 'back office' tasks. The back office function at Posts also supports significant numbers of staff from other Government Departments.

Diplomatic Service: Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many unpaid or expenses-only interns there were employed by or based at UK (a) embassies and (b) consulates since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold data centrally on the number of interns taken on by our embassies and consulates overseas. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Human Resources central guidance provided to FCO embassies and consulates on appointments for internships makes clear that these should be made in accordance with local law and also follow the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles of merit based, fair and open recruitment.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty’s Government. Providing an answer would incur disproportionate cost. However, this information is held on the European Commission’s EUR-Lex website at:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: There are no outstanding EU regulations which my Department should implement, but has not done so.

European Court of Human Rights

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Departments, (b) Ministers and (c) other stakeholders are consulted prior to the preparation by his Department of observations made in respect of cases affecting UK citizens being heard by the European Court of Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office legal advisers act as agents of the UK Government for applications made to the European Court of Human Rights. When applications against the UK are communicated to them they co-ordinate an appropriate response with the lead Government Department (which will depend on the subject matter), other interested Departments and external counsel. The lead Government Department may consult Ministers as necessary. It is not the Government's practice to submit observations on cases affecting UK citizens which are brought against other contracting states.

Ilois: Resettlement

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 85W, on Ilois: resettlement, what the costs to the public purse have been of defending actions brought by the Chagos Islanders since 1999 (a) in total and (b) in relation to (i) the 1999-2000 case, (ii) legal aid to the plaintiffs, (iii) staff costs of officials and legal advisers in his Department, (iv) relevant research carried out by the British diplomatic posts in (A) Mauritius and (B) Seychelles and (v) other relevant staff costs.

Alistair Burt: The cost of legal fees for (i), the 1999-2000 case, was £455,268.44.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff and staff in British diplomatic posts do not keep detailed timesheets of work on different tasks and it is not possible to estimate costs with respect to (iii), (iv) and (v).
	I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy in the Library of the House on part (ii) costs of legal aid, when further research has been done.

Libya: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on unrest around the town of Gharyan in Libya.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of recent reports that a militia from the town of Gharyan clashed with members of a militia from the neighbouring town of Alasabah. Reporting of the incident remains unclear, however, we are aware of at least five deaths. Libyan Defence Minister Juwayli intervened and secured a ceasefire although the situation remains tense. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Nigeria: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Nigerian counterpart the effect of unrest and industrial action on disadvantaged communities in that country.

Henry Bellingham: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), does not currently plan to discuss strike action in Nigeria with his counterpart.
	The Nigerian Government's decision to remove the subsidy on fuel led to national strike action and protests from 9 January, with some regrettable loss of life. It was suspended on 16 January, following discussions between the Government and unions. President Jonathan made an accompanying statement about his Government's commitment to combating corruption in the petroleum industry and other areas of the Nigerian economy. We recognise the rationale of removing the fuel subsidy, when accompanied by fiscal transparency—so that government spending can be invested in development programmes and infrastructure that benefits the Nigerian public. It is for the Nigerian Government to manage the effects of such policy decisions on all sections of society.

President of the European Council

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the cost to the Exchequer of a new headquarters for the President of the European Council.

David Lidington: The European Council approved the costs for the new headquarters for the President of the European Council in 2004. This Government do not believe that the headquarters represent good value for money. We are told that it would now cost more to cancel the headquarters than to complete them.
	The UK is therefore calling for all involved to exercise the utmost economy and efficiency.

Somalia: Piracy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has sought that (a) the Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy in January 2012 and (b) Somali pirates captured in future military actions will be subject to a rigorous prosecution process to deter others from engaging in similar actions.

Alistair Burt: Every encounter with suspected pirates is treated seriously and in each case the Royal Navy will carry out detailed analysis of all the physical evidence and witness statements. If there is sufficient evidence on which to be reasonably confident of achieving a successful prosecution we will make every effort to secure the transfer of suspected pirates for prosecution in the region: it remains our priority to give real support to the countries in the region to deal with the problem of piracy themselves and to deter any engagement with piracy whatsoever. To that end, we are leading international work to build penal, judicial and law enforcement capacities in the region and to tackle the root causes of piracy on land.

USA: Scotland

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the US Secretary of State on the national security implications for the US of independence for Scotland.

Alistair Burt: The UK benefits from having Scotland within it and has no plans to discuss with Secretary Clinton the national security implications for the US of independence for Scotland.

HEALTH

Air Ambulance Services

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of future commissioning arrangements for air ambulance services.

Simon Burns: In England, air ambulances are run and funded by charitable organisations. It is for local national health service organisations to decide whether they commission air ambulances charities.

Air Ambulance Services: Finance

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of air ambulance personnel are funded by the NHS.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to approach individual national health service trusts to ascertain this information.

Benzodiazepines

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what warnings his Department has issued on possible teratogenic effects of the use of benzodiazepines; when such warnings were issued; and on what scientific evidence they were based.

Simon Burns: There are limited data relating to the safety of use of benzodiazepines in pregnancy and the implications for the unborn child. Clinical trials or studies are not routinely conducted in pregnant women. Consequently, the data available in relation to safety in pregnancy mainly comes from animal studies, spontaneous case reports and practical experience with the medicine over time. Evidence from these sources is carefully evaluated and the relevant information is reflected in the product information.
	In 1980, guidance on the use of benzodiazepines was published by the Committee on the Review of Medicines, this included use during pregnancy. In September 1997, the medicines regulatory authority and its advisory committee published further information in the bulletin Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance. This guidance strengthened the guidance previously provided that benzodiazepines are associated with a risk of neonatal withdrawal symptoms if benzodiazepines are used during the latter stages of pregnancy. In addition, it advised that high doses administered during late pregnancy or labour may cause neonatal hypothermia, hypotonia and respiratory depression. It advised that benzodiazepines can also pass into the breast milk of mothers in sufficient doses to cause side effects in the babies and therefore should be avoided, if possible, during breast-feeding.
	Benzodiazepines are therefore not recommended for use during pregnancy unless there is clear clinical need for which the benefits to the mother, such as seizure control, are considered to outweigh the risk to the foetus. Any woman of childbearing potential, should be advised to speak with her doctor about stopping the product if she intends to become pregnant or suspects that she is pregnant.
	Information regarding use during pregnancy, is provided in the product information for each product. Guidance is also provided in the British National Formulary which is provided free to all prescribes in the NHS.

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department did not spend any money on Christmas trees or Christmas decorations in 2011.

Departmental Air Travel

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions since August 2010 he has taken flights on departmental business in the UK; how many of any such flights were made in either first or club class; and who accompanied him on each such flight.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has taken two flights within the United Kingdom in this period. These were for a trip to and from Belfast undertaken in November 2010 for a military health event to which he was accompanied by his parliamentary and principal private secretaries. The flights were in economy class.

Diabetes: Screening

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to introduce universal screening for diabetes in South Asian communities.

Paul Burstow: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC has just commenced a review of screening for type 2 diabetes against its criteria and stakeholders will be given the opportunity to input into the review process once the completed review is posted on the UK NSC website for consultation.
	The NHS Health Check programme is aimed at everyone in England between the ages of 40 to 74. It is a risk assessment and risk management programme, which assesses people's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes and supports people to reduce or manage that risk through individually tailored advice. In rolling out this programme, some primary care trusts targeted high-risk groups first such as South Asian populations who are at particularly high risk of diabetes.
	The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (2011) guidance on ‘Preventing type 2 diabetes through population and community-level interventions in high-risk groups and the general population’ makes recommendations for the provision of culturally appropriate messages about preventing type 2 diabetes. The guidance underlines the action that we are already taking to improve public health and reduce the risk of people developing type 2 diabetes.

Drugs: Imports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the timescales for variations to pharmaceutical licences on UK businesses involved in the importation of medicines from other EU member states to the UK.

Simon Burns: When assessing variations to parallel import licences, the primary objective of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to ensure that the proposed change to the product to be imported will have no effect on the therapeutic equivalence of the product to the United Kingdom sourced product. The MHRA is aware that the time taken to approve a variation to a parallel import licence impacts on the business of the parallel importers and has been working to reduce this impact while maintaining its primary responsibility of safeguarding public health. The gross time taken for processing variations to parallel import licences includes waiting time for information from other member states and from the applicants responding to questions from the agency.

Dystonia: Health Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the conclusions were of the review by the South West Specialised Commissioning Group (SCG) of funding of deep brain stimulation for severe dystonia; on what basis its review was commissioned; and for what reason it rather than another SCG was chosen to conduct the review.

Simon Burns: This is primarily a matter for the local national health service.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the dates on which those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department does not monitor or maintain records of the implementation of European Union law in other EU member states.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department is responsible for the transposition of the following European Union legislation into United Kingdom law:
	Directive 2010/53/EU (Organ transplantation)
	Directive 2010/53/EU on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation entered into force on 26 August 2010. The Department intends to implement by the deadline of 27 August 2012.
	D irective 2011/62/EU (Falsified m edicines)
	Directive 2011/62/EU on falsified medicines entered into force on 21 July 2011. The implementation deadline is 2 January 2013. We plan to implement Directive 2011/62/EU on 2 January 2013.
	Directive 2010/84/EU (Pharmacoviligance)
	Directive 2010/84/EU amending, as regards pharmacovigilance, Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use entered into force on 20 January 2011. The Department intends to implement by the deadline of 21 July 2012.
	Directive 2011/24/EU (Cross b order health care)
	Directive 2011/24/EU on cross border health care allowing EU citizens to seek planned health care treatment in other EU member states entered into force on 24 April 2011. The Department intends to implement by the deadline of 25 October 2013.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether data on the percentage of appointments at genito-urinary clinics made within 48 hours of the appointment will continue to be collected after April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department ran a public consultation on the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which closed in late November 2011. This review considered all central data returns, including the genito-urinary medicine, 48-hour access, monthly monitoring collection. A response to this consultation will be published shortly.

Health Professions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the recommendations made by the NHS Future Forum about health professionals asking patients about their lifestyle.

Anne Milton: We welcome the Future Forum's recommendations and will discuss them over the coming months with a range of interested parties.

Health Professions: Finance

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to the provision of health trainers in (a) England and (b) Worcestershire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The total departmental expenditure to support the provision of the Health Trainer programme in 2010-11 was £609,000. Funding for local areas was distributed by regional hubs.

Health Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he proposes for the development of nationally convergent commissioning policies in relation to specialised services; what plans he has for clinical, patient and public engagement with that process; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Commitments have been given to primary care trusts that no policy convergence will take place in 2012-13 without their knowledge and explicit support.
	A clinical, financial and public patient experience and engagement process is being developed to support policy convergence for 2013-14 onwards.

Health Services: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he proposes to allocate to Healthwatch in Lancashire in each of the three financial years from 2013-14.

Simon Burns: Local Healthwatch organisations will carry out all the activities currently carried out by local involvement networks and certain additional functions.
	The Government will announce the local government financial allocations each year in the usual way. Funding to support local Healthwatch's additional functions will be allocated as part of the Department's Learning Disability and Health Reform Grant. The funding for the rest of local Healthwatch's functions will be allocated through the local government formula grant.
	In addition to this, £3.2 million will be made available in 2012-13 to help with start-up costs for local Healthwatch.

Health Services: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was made available to local involvement networks in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: Allocations to individual local authorities for local involvement networks were announced as part of the local government finance settlement for 2008-09. The allocations for Lancashire are in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 0.454 
			 2009-10 0.455 
			 2010-11 0.456 
		
	
	From 2010-11, funding has been maintained but is distributed via the local government formula grant.
	Local involvement networks were introduced in April 2008, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The Government made £81 million available to local authorities between 2008-09 and 2010-11'to support the funding of networks.

Liposonal Dioxorubicin

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to reduce regulations which limit the manufacture and supply of approved drugs such as liposonal dioxorubicin.

Simon Burns: The Department keeps its stock of regulation under close review and reduces burdens where possible and in line with its public health obligations.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an Executive agency of the Department, will be participating in the Red Tape Challenge in spring this year. The Challenge encourages feedback on regulatory requirements and processes and the MHRA would welcome comments on any aspect of its approach to regulation, including those that affect the manufacture and supply of medicines for human use.
	The MHRA will publish its response to the Red Tape Challenge towards the end of 2012.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of mindfulness-based practices on levels of (a) mental health, (b) depression and (c) physical health.

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 3 October 2011, Official Report, column 1406W, which outlines the research that has been carried out on this treatment. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has evaluated and recommends the use of mindfulness-based therapies as a psychological intervention for the prevention of relapse within its guideline “Depression: the treatment and management of depression in adults”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. It is also available at the following address:
	www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/12329/45888/45888.pdf

Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the recommendations on the mental health of veterans in the Fighting Fit report will be implemented in full.

Simon Burns: The Government are making excellent progress in relation to the recommendations of the Fighting Fit report. The hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), presented his report “Fighting Fit: a mental health plan for servicemen and veterans” to the Prime Minister in October 2010. The Government subsequently announced that they wished to see the report implemented. In order to do so £2 million was made available in 2010-l1 and £1.8 million per year over the following four years for the national health service in England. In his report, Dr Murrison made the following veteran-specific recommendations; that the equivalent of 30 whole-time equivalent community nurses, known as veterans' therapists, be deployed with a remit to ensure that veterans are able to access mental health care; that there be a trial of an online early intervention service for serving personnel and veterans; and, that a Veterans Information Service be deployed 12 months after a person leaves the armed forces.
	To take each of these in turn:
	In relation to the whole-time equivalents, the provision of 30 mental health nurses dedicated to helping veterans with mental health problems is being taken forward regionally: each of the original 10 strategic health authority areas is covered by an Armed Forces Network. Within each Network, the NHS and Combat Stress are working together to develop integrated services for veterans with mental health problems. This type of service is now online in two of the 10 Networks: the South-West veterans' mental health service, and Pennine Care Military Veterans' service in the North-West. Both of these services will manage cases referred by embedded mental health professionals, general practitioners (GPs) or other agencies. The remaining eight services will be up and running in the next few months.
	Turning to the online intervention service for serving personnel and veterans, the Department has funded Big White Wall—an online counselling service—for armed forces personnel, their families and veterans to be able to access peer support, mental health advice and guidance. The uptake of membership of the Big White Wall from the armed forces community is currently exceeding expectations. As of December 2011, approximately 37% of the take up that can be attributed to. the armed forces community users is from veterans.
	Lastly, the Veterans’ Information Service is the next phase to take forward. This is currently being developed and will be rolled out in the first half of this calendar year.
	It is also important to note that other work has been done to fit in with Dr Murrison's recommendations. For example, we launched the Combat Stress Support Helpline 0800 138 1619 (freephone) on 11 March 2011. The helpline is delivered by the charity Rethink Mental Illness using a combination of time specialist service leads and volunteer staff to operate the phones 24-hours-a-day, and. has significant support from Combat Stress. The Government have given £200,000 to fund the running of a one-year pilot of the helpline.
	Finally, an e-learning package was developed in conjunction with the Royal College of GPs to raise their awareness of specific veterans' mental health issues. This was launched alongside Big White Wall in September 2011.

Mental Health: Employment

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to employment for people with (a) mental health issues and (b) learning difficulties.

Paul Burstow: The cross-Government mental health strategy ‘No Health Without Mental Health’ was published February 2011. Included within the strategy's high-level objectives is Government's ambition for “better employment rates for people with mental health problems”. To help to ensure that the objectives of the strategy are implemented across England, the Department of Health is working with a wide range of partners, including the Department for Work and Pensions, to produce an implementation framework in support of the strategy.
	We are investing around £400 million in talking therapies over the next four years. All Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services include delivery of employment support. Between July 2010 and September 2011, over 24,000 of those treated on the IAPT programme have moved off sick pay and benefits, while from the start of the programme in October 2008, over 34,000 of those treated have moved off sick pay and benefits.
	Employment for people with learning disabilities remains a Government priority. On 16 March 2011, the Department published a suite of practical tools and materials to help drive local delivery of learning, from the demonstration sites, information for commissioners and new best practice guidelines on supported employment. These are published on the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) website:
	http://base-uk.org/sites/base-uk.org/files/[user-raw]/11-06/how_to_guide_-_learning_from_the_vpn_employment_demonstration_sites.pdf
	Cross-Government work on employment for young people with a severe learning disability was included in the Green Paper ‘Support and Aspiration’: A new approach to special educational needs and disability published by the Department for Education on 9 March 2011.

Neurology

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will prepare and publish a national outcomes strategy for long-term neurological conditions.

Paul Burstow: We have no plans to produce a separate national outcomes strategy specifically for long-term neurological conditions.
	However, we are currently working-to produce a generic national outcomes strategy for long-term conditions, including neurological conditions. This strategy will look at all of the aspects that impact on the lives of people with long-term conditions, and outline how the key players (Government Departments, local authorities, charities and individuals) can act in future in order to improve outcomes for those with long-term conditions. The strategy will be published later in 2012.
	We will be working with the third sector, patient and carer groups, the national health service, social services and others to ensure that the strategy takes account of their views, and is a meaningful, relevant document. Third sector neurological organisations will be invited to engagement events surrounding the strategy, and officials working on the strategy will meet with the neurological leadership group, and the neurological alliance.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Advertising

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Trusts were found to have breached his Department's advertising guidelines in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010 and (e) 2011; and how many breaches involved advertising by personal injury lawyers in each year.

Simon Burns: Guidance advising that NHS trusts should not advertise the services of personal injury lawyers was last issued by the Department in 2007 in ‘Health Building Note 00-08: Estatecode’. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	This guidance has advisory status for NHS trusts. Department of Health guidance does not apply to NHS foundation trusts.
	The Department does, not monitor compliance with advertising guidance and does not hold information on how many breaches have occurred in respect of advertising by personal injury lawyers.

NHS: Parking

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics each NHS organisation reported to his Department in the Estates Return Information Collection on (a) the number of car parking spaces provided for (i) staff, (ii) patients and (iii) visitors, (b) the average fee charged per hour for (A) patient, (B) visitor and (C) staff parking and (c) the number of parking spaces for disabled people provided in each year from 1997-98 to 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Since 2001-02, the Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts on car parking provision and any associated charges, through the Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC). The Department does not hold data on this subject before that period.
	The data which are available for each year from 2001-02 to the latest available data covering the 2010-11 period have been placed in the Library with an indication of compulsory and non-compulsory data items for NHS organisations including NHS foundation trusts.
	The information provided has been supplied by the NHS and had not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Pancreatic Cancer

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the causes of regional variations in pancreatic cancer survival rates;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that survival rates for pancreatic cancer in the worst performing cancer networks are raised to equal those in the highest performing.

Paul Burstow: We know that late presentation and patients having a more advanced stage of disease at diagnosis are two of the main reasons for variation in cancer survival outcomes. This is why we have prioritised achieving earlier diagnosis in “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011. The strategy, backed by more than £750 million over the spending review period, sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and treatment.
	While the Department has not assessed the causes of regional variations in pancreatic cancer survival rates, to support the national health service in tackling regional variations in cancer survival rates, we are providing data to providers and commissioners that allow them to benchmark their services and outcomes against one another and to identify where improvements need to be made. Surgical resection is currently the best curative intervention for pancreatic cancer and through the National Cancer Intelligence Network, we have already made available data collections on survival rates and surgical resection rates across a range of cancers, including pancreatic.
	In August 2011, the Department and the National Cancer Action Team published the “Radiotherapy Dataset First Annual Report” to help tackle unwarranted variation in radiotherapy services and from April 2012, we are mandating the collection of chemotherapy data to achieve the same.
	In “Improving Outcomes a Strategy for Cancer: First Annual Report”, published on 13 December 2011, we have said that continuing to provide the NHS with benchmarked data on variations in services and outcomes as a lever for improvements is a priority for 2012. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.

Paroxetine

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has assessed paroxetine as being teratogenic.

Simon Burns: Paroxetine belongs to a class of antidepressant medicines known as the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). At the initial time of licensing, in the absence of human pregnancy data, paroxetine was tested in animal studies in line with regulatory requirements and these did not suggest that paroxetine was teratogenic.
	In the post marketing period, there have been several epidemiological studies designed to evaluate any possible potential adverse effects in human neonates exposed to paroxetine during pregnancy. The results of the early studies were conflicting and numbers of exposed pregnancies small.
	More recent studies have suggested that there is the potential for an association between exposure to paroxetine in early pregnancy (the first trimester) and a small increase in the risk of birth defects, in particular heart-related defects. Other studies have shown that exposure to SSRIs, including paroxetine, in the later stages of pregnancy is associated with a small increased risk of a condition affecting the neonatal lung and circulation called Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).
	The product information for-prescribers (the Summary of Product Characteristics) and the patient information leaflet for paroxetine and all SSRIs have been updated to include warnings about the small increased risks of birth defects and PPHN. Information on these risks have also been communicated on the Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory Agency website and through its drug safety bulletin, Drug Safety Update.
	Current advice is that paroxetine should only be used in pregnancy when strictly indicated and only if the expected benefit to the mother is thought to be greater than any potential risk to the foetus.

Schizophrenia

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia in each (a) primary care trust area, (b) strategic health authority area and (c) parliamentary constituency;
	(2)  how many people received active treatment for schizophrenia (a) in each primary care trust area and (b) nationally in each year since 2002;
	(3)  how many people with a diagnosis of (a) psychosis and (b) schizophrenia committed suicide in England in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The term psychosis does not refer to a diagnosis so we do not have figures for such. We cannot provide the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia; however, tables showing admissions to hospital, based on finished admission episodes, where there was a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia have been placed in the Library. We do not collect information by parliamentary constituency but by primary care trust and strategic health authority.
	The following table gives information on the number of people with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia in contact with mental health services in the 12 months prior to suicide between 2004 and 2008 in England:
	
		
			 Patient suicides with schizophrenia (England, 2004-08) 
			  Number 
			 2004 259 
			 2005 243 
			 2006 205 
			 2007 194 
			 2008 175 
			 Source: National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness. 
		
	
	Chapter 5 (Psychosis) of the document ‘Adult Psychiatric Morbidity, in England 2007’ gives more background statistical information about schizophrenia and a copy has been placed in the Library.

Schizophrenia

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with schizophrenia in (a) each primary care trust and (b) England in each year since 2002.

Paul Burstow: We cannot provide the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, a table showing admissions to hospital, based on finished admission episodes, where there was a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia broken down by primary care trust per year since 2002 and a total figure for England, has been placed in the Library.

Social Services: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of adult social care in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent in (i) 2020, (ii) 2040 and (iii) 2060.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not hold such figures centrally. In its Fiscal Sustainability Report, the Office for Budget Responsibility has produced national level estimates for the cost of long-term care as a percentage of gross domestic product to 2060-61. For 2020-21, this figure is 1.3%. For 2040-41 it is 1.8%, and for 2060-61, the estimate is 2.0%. Local authorities may also produce their own estimates on the cost of future need.

Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital-based staff have completed Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training in each primary care trust in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not keep this information centrally. However, the Government's “Consultation on preventing suicide in England: a cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives” published in July 2011 identifies, among its prompts for local action, the importance of suicide prevention and awareness skills training to ensure front-line staff working with high-risk groups receive training in the recognition, assessment and management of risk and fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Following consideration of responses to the consultation document the final outcomes strategy will be published later this year.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale, local clinicians and patients to discuss (a) the lessons learned from the investigation of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust into emergency care and (b) ensuring that patients treated by the trust are safe.

Simon Burns: I am happy to meet the hon. Member and other hon. Members, whose constituencies are served by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, to hear their views on the recently announced investigation by the Care Quality Commission into emergency care at the trust.
	The Care Quality Commission will seek the views of local stakeholders, including clinicians, patients and Members of Parliament, as part of the investigation.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Department has not spent any money on Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations in 2011.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which EU regulations her Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: There is one EU regulation that is awaiting full implementation.
	Council Regulation (EC) No. 380/2008 of 18 April 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No. 1030/2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals.
	This measure was adopted on 18 April 2008 and will come into force on 20 May 2012.

Immigration: Appeals

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the letter from the Minister for Immigration of 13 June 2011 on the number of appeals allowed by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) on the basis of Article 3 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the fourth quarter of 2010, what the equivalent figures are for the (a) first, (b) second and (c) third quarter of 2011 for appeals relating to (i) criminal casework (foreign national prisoners), (ii) international group entry clearance, (iii) special cases, (iv) asylum appeals, (v) temporary migration, (vi) permanent migration—settlement and (vii) permanent migration—decisions under the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006.

Damian Green: holding answer 16 January 2012
	The United Kingdom Border Agency's Case Information Database does not record the specific reasons why an appeal is allowed and the new information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual files, computer records and appeal determinations.

Riot (Damages) Act 1886

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of the monetary value of claims brought under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have been paid since August 2011;
	(2)  how many small business owners who claimed for property damage under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have received compensation since August 2011;
	(3)  how many individuals claiming for home damage under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have received compensation since August 2011.

Theresa May: holding answer 19 January 2012
	Payments to individuals and businesses are the responsibility of police authorities. The Home Office will reimburse all payments made by police authorities under the Riot (Damages) Act.

Security: London 2012 Olympics

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the security systems and resources of the Metropolitan Police, Government and Olympic Agencies, Transport for London and relevant local authorities will be integrated during the London 2012 Olympics; and which agencies and companies are responsible for any such work;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to ensure that all security resources available for the London 2012 Olympic venues are integrated; and what account has been taken of previous major incidents in this work;
	(3)  how existing security resources outside the London 2012 Olympic venues and at the perimeter fencing will be brought into use; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa May: The Government are committed to delivering a safe and secure London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for all, and are confident the right plans are in place to deliver this. There will be a number of major exercises leading up to the Games. Delivery of venue security, including perimeter security, is the responsibility of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).

JUSTICE

Bronzefield Prison: Visits

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of security checks on family visitors to Bronzefield prison was in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: HM Prison Bronzefield is a women's establishment for adults and young offenders aged 18-20. It is run under contract to the Ministry of Justice by Sodexo Justice Services. Because payment under the contract is on the basis of occupancy, the cost of security checks on family visitors is not identified separately.

Chief Coroner

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he proposes that the charter for the coroner service will include reference to the chief coroner and his (a) functions and (b) powers;
	(2)  whether he plans to reconsult on his proposed charter for the coroner service following his decision not to abolish the office of chief coroner.

Jonathan Djanogly: The charter, which we plan to issue in early 2012, is for current coroner services under the Coroners Act 1988 and 1984 Coroners Rules (as amended) and will not refer to the chief coroner as the functions and powers of that office have yet to be implemented.
	We intend to consult on a revised charter when we implement the coroner provisions of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. The revised version will include reference to the functions and powers of the chief coroner as appropriate.

Civil Disorder

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases relating to the public disorder in summer 2011 summer disorder have involved the use of restorative justice processes.

Crispin Blunt: My Department has published a number of statistical bulletins covering cases relating to the public disorder of 6 to 9 August 2011. These publications provide information on defendants brought before the courts, including initial outcomes, sentencing information analysis of criminal histories, prison population and linked socio-economic data.
	The data reported to my Department by courts, which were subsequently used to compile these bulletins, do not include any information on whether these cases involved any element of restorative justice.
	I have arranged for copies of these bulletins and associated data tables to be placed in the House Library.

Civil Disorder

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any offenders convicted of involvement in the public disorder in August 2011 whose cases were heard in the Inner London Crown court were issued with a compensation order.

Crispin Blunt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 663W. The report referred to was published on 24 October 2011. I have placed a copy in the House Library.

Civil Proceedings: Finance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Lord Jackson's recommendations in his review of civil litigation funding, what steps he has taken to determine the means by which a 10 per cent. uplift in general damages could be implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: As the Government indicated in their response to the consultation “Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations”, there will be an increase of 10% in non-pecuniary general damages such as pain, suffering and loss of amenity in tort cases for all claimants. The senior judiciary have agreed to look at how this is to be taken forward.

Civil Proceedings: Finance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in determining the qualifications that will be used in the qualified one way costs shifting regime for civil litigation; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government are seeking to reform the way in which conditional fee agreements operate in Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. As part of these reforms, the Government are introducing qualified one way costs shifting (QOCS) in personal injury cases. The Government are developing the details of QOCS with stakeholders, including how the rules should be drafted and what qualifications should be applied.

Community Orders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost is of (a) providing supervision for and (b) supporting an offender with a community sentence; and what the average cost is of processing such an offender through the criminal justice system.

Crispin Blunt: As part of the Government's commitment to provide greater transparency, to enable the public to hold services to account and assess whether they are receiving value for money from the services we provide, NOMS will publish, in autumn 2012, three probation level input indicators one of which is the cost per community order. This will be the average, fully-apportioned cost to probation of delivering a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order sentence to the service definition as detailed in the NOMS service specification. This will include both managing the sentence and delivering court-ordered requirements. The costs of the latter will be derived from the average number and type of requirements attached to a sentence for an offender on each tier.
	No distinction is made when collecting costs between providing supervision, supporting an offender and processing an offender.

Contact Orders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many contact orders issued by the family division were contested by a parent in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many contact orders were issued by the family division in divorce and separation cases in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many residence orders were altered by the family division from one parent having residence to the other parent on application in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how many no contact orders were altered by the family division where applications were made by one parent and the other parent had custody in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information on the number of children involved in contact orders issued in the county courts and High Court from 2008 to 2010 by whether or not they were contested is provided in the following table. Please note that the person contesting the order may not necessarily be a 'parent'. In addition, this information is not available for contact orders issued in the Family Proceedings Courts prior to 2011.
	
		
			 Number of children involved in contact orders made in private law cases in the county courts and High Court of England and Wales, from 2008 to 2010, by whether or not they were contested 
			  Contested  
			  Yes No Unknown Total 
			 2008 35,980 28,530 * 64,510 
			 2009 40,790 29,100 10 69,900 
			 2010 46,980 31,620 60 78,660 
			 Notes: 1. Figures relate to the number of children subject to each order. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Figures under five are marked with an asterisk ‘*’. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Please note that contact orders made in private law cases in family proceedings courts (FPCs) have been excluded as, during this period, not all FPCs were using FamilyMan. Those that were not using FamilyMan provided summary returns which held information on contested contact cases but were not complete during this whole time period. 4. Please note that where an order is contested the person contesting the order may not necessarily be a 'parent'. It may be, for example, a grandparent who has been given parental responsibility for the child. Source: HMCTS FamilyMan system 
		
	
	Information about the number of contact orders made in divorce and separation cases, about residence orders altered from one parent having residence to the other parent, or about no contact orders were altered where applications were made by one parent and the other parent had custody, is not held centrally, and could be obtained through the inspection of individual files only at disproportionate cost.

Crimes Outside National Territories

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether a time limit exists for prosecutions brought in respect of offences committed in other countries;
	(2)  whether steps are being taken to extend the time limit for prosecutions brought in respect of crimes committed in other countries.

Crispin Blunt: Only a small number of offences that are committed overseas are capable of being tried in England and Wales, and none of them attracts a time limit on prosecution.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Tooting of 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 5-8W, on departmental public expenditure and with reference to page 22 of his Department’s annual report and accounts 2010-11, what the budget was of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in 2010-11.

Jonathan Djanogly: The baseline budget for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in 2010-11 was £209 million. Ministry of Justice provided £72 million additional funding during 2010-11 which allowed the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to settle further ‘tariff’ cases and increased their expenditure to £281 million.
	This overall expenditure figure of £281 million covered compensation payments only and includes £25 million spent on Scottish cases for which the authority receives separate funding from the Scottish Parliament as part of its baseline budget.

Debt Collection

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints about bailiffs his Department has received in each month since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not hold a central record of the number of complaints received about county court bailiffs and civilian enforcement officers. Complaints are made directly to individual county courts and magistrates courts.
	A record of the number of complaints received about High Court enforcement officers is held by the Senior Master on behalf of the Lord Chancellor. These records show that since May 2010, there have been no complaints received.
	Central records are also held on the number of complaints received against certificated bailiffs. The following table shows the number of complaints received since May 2010.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010  
			 May 1 
			 June 2 
			 July 2 
			 August 1 
			 September 0 
			 October 1 
			 November 1 
			 December 0 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0 
			 February 1 
			 March 0 
			 April 1 
			 May 2 
			 June 4 
			 July 0 
			 August 0 
			 September 0 
			 October 1 
			 November 0 
			 December (to date) 0 
			 Note: The figures given above for certificated bailiffs has been extracted from the central Certificated Bailiff Register that is maintained purely for administrative purposes. It is important to note the limitations of manual data collection processes and that while details are updated, the register does not provide an accurate record of the names, dates and the number of complaints made or heard against certificated bailiffs.

Debt Collection

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times his Department has used the services of debt recovery companies since May 2010; which companies were used; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: This Ministry of Justice has not used any debt recovery companies since May 2010.

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average waiting time for a disability living allowance appeal to be heard was (a) in London and (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many disability living allowance appeals for claimants in (a) London and (b) the UK have been unresolved for over 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information is as follows.
	(1) Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions on entitlement to disability living allowance (DLA).
	The following table shows the average time taken from submission of an appeal to the DWP until the date of the first appeal hearing at HMCTS for DLA appeals nationally and in London.
	The information covers 1 April 2011 to 31 October 2011, the latest period for which published data are available.
	
		
			 Average waiting times—disability living allowance 
			  National London 
			 Average time in weeks from submission to DWP to receipt at HMCTS 6.8 7.7 
			 Average time in weeks from receipt at HMCTS to first hearing 25.6 25.9 
			 Notes: 1. For the purposes of these data London has been taken as those HMCTS venues within the M25 area. 2. The data regarding the time from when an appeal is submitted to the DWP until it is received by HMCTS is taken from HMCTS' database and relies on the date of submission recorded by DWP. 
		
	
	(2) It is not possible to provide the number of DLA appeals that are over 12 months old at this time because the data does not form part of the published statistics and so was not extracted the last time the statistics were produced. To ensure the consistency and integrity of data, HMCTS only provides data based upon published statistics. I will therefore arrange for the number of appeals over 12 months old nationally and in London to be supplied to the hon. Member when the next Social Security and Child Support data are published for the quarter to March 2012.

Driving Under Influence

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were convicted of causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011;
	(2)  how many people were convicted of causing death by careless driving and who failed to supply a specimen for analysis in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011;
	(3)  what the average length of custodial sentence given for a conviction for causing death by careless driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, by average length of custodial sentence, in 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving in 2010 is 238. From information held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database it is not possible to identify how many of these persons failed to supply a specimen for analysis.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
	
		
			 Number of persons found guilty at all courts, by sentence imposed, for offences of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs (1) , England and Wales, 2010 (2,3) 
			   of which: 
			 Offence Found guilty Immediate custody Average sentence length (4 ) (months) Suspended sentence 
			 Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs 41 40 45.5 1 
			 (1) Road Traffic Act 1988, S.3A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991, S.3 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 1993. S.67. (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Employment Tribunals Service : Fees and Charges

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to alter fees and charges for lodging cases with employment tribunals.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice published a consultation paper ‘Charging Fees in Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal’ on 14 December 2011. The consultation puts forward two sets of proposals that protect access to justice for those with low incomes or limited means, but which also ensure that those who use the system, and can afford to do so, make a financial contribution. The consultation will end on 6 March 2012.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy area which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the dates on which those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty's Government. EU regulations have direct legal effect and the same date of application in the member states to which they apply and do not require any implementation. For other types of EU legislation the national measures each member state has used to implement a specific instrument and the implementation dates can be found on the EUR-Lex website at:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The following EU legislation has been agreed which is awaiting transposition into law in England and Wales:
	Council Decision 2008/431/EC of 5 June 2008 authorising certain member states to ratify, or accede to, in the interest of the European Community, the 1996 Hague Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children and authorising certain member states to make a declaration on the application of the relevant internal rules of Community law.
	Directive 2010/64/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.
	Council Decision 2011/432/EU of 9 June 2011 on the approval, on behalf of the European Union, of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance.
	Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA.
	Directive 2011/99/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the European protection order.
	There is also a body of EU legislation in the area of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters, adopted prior to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, against which the Government are currently assessing our outstanding transposition obligations. This will inform the decision we must take no later than May 2014 on whether to accept European Court of Justice jurisdiction for these measures.

European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what response he has made to the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber Judgement in the Hanif and Khan v United Kingdom case; whether he has any subsequent plans to amend legislation; and what his policy is on police officers serving on juries.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government are currently considering the judgment. However, the European Court of Human Rights was very clear that it was not deciding whether it is, in general, compatible with Article 6 ECHR for a police officer to serve on a jury. We therefore do not envisage bringing forward legislative proposals in this area.
	Lord Justice Auld carefully considered this issue in his Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales (2001). He concluded that no-one should be automatically ineligible for jury service simply because of their job. He did not consider it likely that people who worked in the criminal justice system would unduly influence fellow jurors or bring to bear any special degree of prejudice. His recommendations were implemented by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, and additional safeguards were introduced following the House of Lords judgment in “R
	v.
	Abdroikof and others” (2007) UKHL37.

Fixed Penalties

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fixed penalty notices were issued in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) in England and Wales can be viewed in the table.
	Calendar year information for 2011 is planned for publication in May, 2012.
	
		
			 Penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 and above, England and Wales, 2006-10 (1) 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Penalty Notices for Disorder 201,197 207,544 176,164 170,393 140,769 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Ministry of Justice

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what costs under each heading of expenditure his Department incurred in (a) abolishing HM Courts Service and (b) establishing HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

Jonathan Djanogly: The costs associated with the creation of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) were not recorded separately for abolishing Her Majesty’s Courts Service and establishing HMCTS and it is not possible to disaggregate them. The total costs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Project management staff salaries 1.6 
			 IT costs 0.9 
			 Other office costs 0.2 
			 Total costs 2.7 
		
	
	Significant benefits are being delivered through the creation of HMCTS. The public consultation document set these out in detail. These savings enable HMCTS to deliver a reduced budget and we believe that these will be around £34 million annually from April 2013.

Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what categories of expenditure he expects the Judicial Appointments Commission to make savings; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such savings on the Commission's services and functions.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Judicial Appointments Commission's business plan demonstrates that they are expecting to deliver savings in both pay and non-pay costs. This will be delivered through a new staffing structure with reduced numbers of people, particularly at more senior levels, along with more efficient operating processes.
	I am confident that the Judicial Appointments Commission will demonstrate that it has made savings while handling more applications and making more recommendations than previous years and continue to make progress towards a more diverse judiciary.

Kidnapping: Children

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of child abduction came before the courts where the abductor was a parent of the child concerned in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants who were proceeded against for the offence abduction of a child by parent under in each year from 2008 to 2010 (latest currently available), is shown in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring of 2012.
	
		
			 Defendants (1)  proceeded against at all magistrates courts for the abduction of child by parent under the Child Abduction Act 1984 (2) , England and Wales, 2008 - 10 
			 Defendants 
			  2008 (3) 2009 2010 
			 Total proceeded against 16 8 12 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal Is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) The offence data are given for ‘abduction of a child by parent’ under s.1(1) of the Child Abduction Act 1984, Here child is defined as being a child under 16 years of age. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Legal Aid Scheme: Reform

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the response of the Employment Appeal Tribunal to his consultation on the Reform of Legal Aid.

Jonathan Djanogly: The response requested has been placed in the House Library.

Legal Services Commission

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to ensure that inadvertent errors in completing Legal Services Commission forms can be corrected without the need for a formal appeals process.

Jonathan Djanogly: Decisions made to award new contracts as part of a tender exercise are a matter for the Legal Services Commission (LSC) which has responsibility for administering the legal aid scheme.
	The LSC’s tendering processes are governed by the Public Contract Regulations 2006 (as amended). Accordingly, the LSC must operate openly, fairly and transparently in exercising its duties. To allow organisations to correct mistakes (inadvertently made or otherwise) or make other changes after the deadline would ordinarily be in clear breach of this. Rights of internal appeal were clearly set out in the tender documentation and limited to where the LSC had made an error in assessing an applicant’s tender. Tender applicants must always use care when completing their tender responses and are asked to confirm that the response they submit is true and accurate, as this is the basis of contract awards.

Legal Services Commission

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his estimate is of the total amount of time spent in a month by judges on endorsing claims by Counsel seeking payment for their work from the Legal Services Commission.

Jonathan Djanogly: Judges do not record the amount of time they take each month considering claims by counsel, therefore it is not possible to provide the information requested.

Legal Services Commission

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason a one-page Family Advocacy Scheme Attendance form has to be signed or initialled by a judge in up to six different places before a barrister can claim payment for work undertaken for the Legal Services Commission.

Jonathan Djanogly: A judge's signature is required on the Family Advocacy form to authorise the standard fee for work undertaken. If an advocate has claimed additional fees, then an additional signature or initial is required by either by a judge, magistrate, legal adviser or other court official to provide independent confirmation that the additional fees are justified.

Legal Services Commission

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time taken by the Legal Services Commission was to process fee payment applications on behalf of barristers undertaking work funded from the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) makes legal aid payments for criminal work to barristers via the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme. The latest figures show that the majority of payment applications for criminal work, where no further information was required, were processed and passed for payment within 39 days, against a target processing time of 40 days. The LSC is working to further reduce this processing time.
	Payment for family work is made through the Family Graduated Fee Scheme and Family Advocacy Fee Scheme. Family is the only area of civil work which has introduced fee payment applications for barristers. The latest figures show that the average time taken for applications to be processed and passed for payment is 25 days, against a target processing time of 30 days.
	Due to the weekly payment run process the LSC uses it then takes four to nine working days from authorisation to payment actually being received into the barrister's account for all types of work.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 28 November 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Tariq Nadeem and Mrs Salma Tariq.

Kenneth Clarke: A reply has now been sent.

Offences Against Children

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number was of previous convictions for taking indecent photographs of children held by a person convicted of that offence without being sent to prison in each of the last three years; and how many previous offences each such person had committed in total at the point of sentence.

Crispin Blunt: The table shows the highest number of previous convictions for taking, permitting to be taken, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children, for individuals convicted of this offence in the years 2008 to 2010 who received a sentence other than immediate custody. It also shows their total number of previous cautions and convictions, and previous immediate custodial sentences. In each case the previous convictions for this offence were all dealt with at a single court hearing.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Highest number of previous convictions for taking, permitting to be taken, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children, when convicted of this offence in England and Wales in the years 2008 to 2010, and not going to prison 
			  Number of previous offences 
			  2008 2009 2010 
			 Previous convictions for taking, permitting to be taken, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children 27 22 29 
			 Previous cautions and convictions for any offence at time of    
			 Conviction 33 22 30 
			 Previous immediate custodial sentences for any offence at time of conviction 6 — —

Offenders: Dyslexia

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to measure the proportion of offenders diagnosed as dyslexic.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board (YJB), Department of Health (DoH) and National Offender Management Service (NOMS) do not hold collated data about the number of offenders with dyslexia or similar speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
	Offender Learning and Skills Service providers undertake detailed assessments of those prisoners who engage in education. That assessment will identify learners with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, and the provider is required to provide additional learner support to assist those prisoners in achieving their learning aims.
	A health needs assessment is undertaken when individuals enter prison to assist in identifying speech, language and communications needs.
	Working jointly with the Department of Health NOMS are looking to introduce a Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ) for use by all prison staff to identify those with a learning difficulty or disability and refer them to specialist support and services. The LDSQ can also be used in the community by probation trusts.

Prisoners’ Release

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were recalled to prison in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Crispin Blunt: Offenders serving a sentence of 12 months and over are released from prison, in most cases automatically at the half way point of their sentence, under licensed supervision to the Probation Service. Offenders released on licence are recalled to custody if their behaviour gives cause for concern.
	The following table provides data for 2009, 2010 and the first two quarters of 2011 (latest available).
	
		
			 Year of recall Recalled 
			 2009 14,715 
			 2010 15,424 
			 2011 (January to June) 7,857 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Qualifications

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners have no educational qualifications;
	(2)  what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners were excluded from school.

Crispin Blunt: The 'Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis' published by my Department in November 2010(1) reported that 42% of prisoners had previously been excluded from school. The report also indicates that 53% of prisoners had qualifications and 47% did not.
	Data distinguishing between male and female prisoners are not currently available but is expected to be published, subject to quality assurance, in forthcoming Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction publications on the childhood and educational background of prisoners.
	(1) Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis.
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/compendium-of-reoffending-statistics-and-analysis.pdf

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with which countries his officials are negotiating treaties for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners;
	(2)  with which countries the UK has signed a treaty for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners since May 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The United Kingdom is actively negotiating prisoner transfer agreements with Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Discussions are taking place with other countries about the possibility of entering into negotiations on prisoner transfer arrangements.
	No new prisoner transfer agreements have been signed with other Governments since May 2010.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which non-EU countries the UK has a treaty for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners; and on what date each treaty was signed.

Crispin Blunt: The United Kingdom is party to both bilateral and multilateral prisoner transfer agreements.
	The United Kingdom ratified the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons on 1 August 1985. The following list gives those non-EU countries which have also ratified the convention together with their dates of ratification:
	Albania, 4 April 2000.
	Andorra, 13 July 2000.
	Armenia, 11 May 2001.
	Australia, 5 September 2002.
	Azerbaijan, 25 January 2001.
	Bahamas, 12 November 1991.
	Bermuda, 10 September 2002.
	Bolivia, 2 March 2004.
	Bosnia and Herzegovina, 30 April 2004.
	Canada, 13 May 1985.
	Chile, 30 July 1998.
	Costa Rica, 14 April 1998.
	Croatia, 25 January 1995.
	Ecuador, 12 July 2005.
	Georgia, 21 October 1997.
	Honduras, 9 March 2009.
	Iceland, 6 August 1993.
	Israel, 24 September 1997.
	Japan, 17 February 2003,
	South Korea, 20 July 2005.
	Liechtenstein, 14 January 1998.
	Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 28 July 1999.
	Mauritius, 18 June 2004.
	Mexico, 13 July 2007.
	Moldova, 12 May 2004.
	Montenegro, 11 April 2004.
	Norway, 9 December 1992.
	Panama, 5 July 1999.
	Russia, 28 August 2007.
	San Marino, 25 June 2004.
	Serbia, 11 April 2002.
	Switzerland, 15 January 1998.
	Tonga, 3 July 2000.
	Trinidad and Tobago, 22 March 1994.
	Turkey, 3 September 1997.
	Ukraine, 28 September 1987.
	United States of America, 11 March 1985.
	Venezuela, 11 June 2003.
	In addition to state signatories to the convention, the convention has been extended to the following territories:
	Ascension and Tristan de Cunha, 23 January 1987.
	Anguilla,23 January 1987.
	Aruba, 1 June 1996.
	Bermuda, 10 September 2002.
	Bouvet Island, 1 April 1993.
	British Indian Ocean Territory, 23 January 1987.
	British Virgin Islands, 2 September 1988
	Cayman Islands, 23 January 1987.
	Falkland Islands, 23 January 1987.
	Faroe Islands, 1 May 1987.
	Gibraltar, 23 January 1987.
	Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, 23 January 1987.
	Montserrat, 23 January 1987.
	Netherlands Antilles, 1 June 1996.
	Peter I’s Island, 1 April 1993.
	Pitcairn, 23 January 1987.
	Queen Maud Land, 1 April 1993.
	St Helena, 23 January 1987.
	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, 23 January 1987.
	The United Kingdom has signed prisoner transfer agreements on a bilateral basis with the following states:
	Antigua and Barbuda, 23 June 2003.
	Barbados, 3 April 2002.
	Brazil, 20 August 1998.
	Cuba, 13 June 2002.
	Dominica, 2 May 2006(1).
	Dominican Republic, 18 February 2003(1).
	Egypt, 29 November 1993.
	Ghana, 17 July 2008.
	Guyana, 5 April 2002(1).
	Hong Kong, 17 July 2008.
	India, 18 February 2005.
	Laos, 7 May 2009.
	Lesotho, 6 June 2007.
	Libya, 17 November 2008.
	Morocco, 21 February 2002.
	Nicaragua, 6 September 2005(1).
	Pakistan, 24 August 2007.
	Peru, 7 March 2003.
	Rwanda, 11 February 2010.
	St. Lucia, 27 April 2006.
	Sri Lanka, 6 February 2004.
	Suriname, 29 June 2002(1).
	Thailand, 22 January 1990.
	Uganda, 12 September 2008(1).
	Vietnam, 12 September 2008.
	The United Kingdom has been a participant to the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth since 27 June 1991. The following countries are also participants to the Commonwealth scheme. We do not have the dates of accession for these countries. Where a participant to the Commonwealth scheme is also a signatory to the convention on the transfer of sentenced persons transfer will normally take place under the convention.
	Australia.
	Bahamas.
	Canada.
	Cook Islands.
	Grenada.
	Malawi.
	Nigeria.
	Samoa.
	Sri Lanka.
	Trinidad and Tobago.
	(1) Prisoner transfer agreements have been signed but await ratification.

Prisons: Voluntary Organisations

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding was allocated to (a) prisoner support and (b) offender support third sector organisations in each of the last five years; and if he will provide details of each provider receiving funds from the public purse.

Crispin Blunt: National Offender Management Service does not record separately funding allocated to prisoner or offender support third sector organisations. To identify such costs would involve surveying each third sector contracts for the last five years which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Social Entitlement Chamber

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost is of a hearing at the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First Tier Tribunals.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal contains three jurisdictions which each have differing types of work load, panel composition and lengths of tribunal hearing. Therefore, HMCTS does not currently utilise or calculate financial information for planning or reporting at Chamber level and an overall average cost of a hearing of the Social Entitlement Chamber is not available. However, the average cost in 2010-11 of an appeal in each of the jurisdictions within the Social Entitlement Chamber is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Social Security and Child Support 239 
			 Asylum Support 389 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation 1,077 
		
	
	The average cost of a criminal injuries compensation (CIC) appeal is significantly higher than in the other jurisdictions because the panel in this jurisdiction always consists of three members whereas in other jurisdictions, the number of members can vary between one and three depending on the type of appeal being heard. The hearings in CIC can also last longer than in other jurisdictions, partly due to there being witnesses in most cases.
	These costs are averages and any individual case could therefore cost significantly more or less than the figures quoted.

Victims Support

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department allocated to organisations providing support to victims of crime in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the funding provided by the Ministry of Justice to organisations providing support to victims of crime in the past five years:
	
		
			  Funding amount (£) 
			 2007-08 (1)38,978,496 
			 2008-09 (1)40,968,289 
			 2009-10 (1)42,645,763 
			 2010-11 (1)48,527,855 
			 2011-12 (2)48,216,614 
			 (1) Includes contributions from other Government Departments. (2) In 2011-12 the charity Victim Support will receive, in addition to its grant funding, a sum yet to be determined raised under the Prisoners' Earnings Act. Over the 12 month period from 26 September 2011 to 30 September 2012 Victim Support will receive up to £l million from this source.

Young Offender Institutions: Injuries

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1068-72W, how many times a restrictive physical intervention was used; how many injuries arose from the use of restrictive physical interventions; how many such injuries were recorded as serious injuries in each Secure Training Centre in each year since 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of restrictive physical interventions (RPIs), injuries recorded following incidents of RPIs, and how many of these injuries were recorded as serious for each Secure Training Centre in each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10. This information has been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
	These data come from monthly returns from secure establishments to the YJB. Due to the way these data are collected it is not possible to tell if the same young people are involved in multiple incidents throughout the year. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	Data for 2010-11 will be published on 26 January 2012 in the 2010-11 Youth Justice Statistics publication, which will be available on the Ministry of Justice website.
	
		
			 Number of restrictive physical interventions (RPIs), injuries recorded following incidents of RPIs, and how many of these were recorded as serious, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			 Under 18 Secure Training Centres (STCs) Number of RPIs RPI injuries RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries 
			 2007-08    
			 Hassockfield 519 100 0 
			 Medway 869 331 0 
			 Oakhill 1012 27 0 
			 Rainsbrook 373 96 0 
			     
			 2008-09    
			 Hassockfield 543 134 0 
			 Medway 447 151 0 
			 Oakhill 459 18 0 
			 Rainsbrook 374 84 0 
			     
			 2009-10    
			 Hassockfield 595 195 0 
			 Medway 506 137 0 
			 Oakhill 227 2 0 
			 Rainsbrook 341 69 0 
			 Notes: 1. This data comes from monthly returns from the secure estate to the YJB. Due to the way these data are collected it is not possible to tell if the same young people are involved in multiple incidents throughout the year. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Youth Custody: Enfield

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from the London borough of Enfield have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of young people (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or remanded in custody attached to the Enfield youth offending team.
	These data are from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and refer to secure training centres (STCs), secure children’s homes (SCHs), and young offender institutions (YOIs).
	The figures from April 2010 onwards are provisional.
	The final figures for April 2010 to March 2011 will be finalised in the 2010-11 Annual Youth Justice Statistics publication on 26 January 2012.
	Data from April 2011 onwards will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
	The data comes from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Young people in custody attached to Enfield Youth Offending Team by establishment type 
			  Secure children's homes Secure training centres Young offender institutions 
			 May 2005 0 1 23 
			 June 2005 0 1 16 
			 July 2005 0 1 15 
			 August 2005 1 3 15 
			 September 2005 1 5 13 
			 October 2005 0 1 18 
			 November 2005 0 1 20 
			 December 2005 0 2 21 
			 January 2006 0 2 20 
			 February 2006 0 2 23 
			 March 2006 0 2 23 
			 April 2006 2 2 21 
			 May 2006 1 1 26 
			 June 2006 1 0 22 
			 July 2006 1 0 27 
			 August 2006 1 2 28 
			 September 2006 0 3 28 
			 October 2006 0 1 25 
			 November 2006 0 3 25 
			 December 2006 1 2 26 
			 January 2007 0 3 28 
			 February 2007 0 3 29 
			 March 2007 0 3 24 
			 April 2007 0 2 27 
			 May 2007 0 2 26 
			 June 2007 0 2 25 
			 July 2007 0 2 20 
			 August 2007 1 2 16 
			 September 2007 1 3 22 
			 October 2007 0 3 22 
			 November 2007 0 2 22 
			 December 2007 0 1 23 
			 January 2008 0 2 16 
			 February 2008 0 3 17 
			 March 2008 0 2 17 
			 April 2008 0 0 20 
			 May 2008 0 0 20 
			 June 2008 0 2 20 
			 July 2008 0 1 22 
			 August 2008 0 2 19 
			 September 2008 0 2 16 
			 October 208 0 1 17 
			 November 2008 0 1 18 
			 December 2008 0 1 14 
			 January 2009 0 0 16 
			 February 2009 1 0 19 
			 March 2009 1 0 16 
			 April 2009 1 1 18 
			 May 2009 1 3 17 
			 June 2009 0 3 15 
			 July 2009 0 1 15 
			 August 2009 0 0 16 
			 September 2009 0 2 16 
			 October 2009 0 1 16 
			 November 2009 0 2 11 
			 December 2009 0 0 9 
			 January 2010 0 0 7 
			 February 2010 0 1 12 
			 March 2010 0 0 9 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2010 0 2 11 
			 May 2010 1 2 11 
			 June 2010 0 2 17 
			 July 2010 0 3 15 
			 August 2010 0 2 15 
			 September 2010 0 3 13 
			 October 2010 0 4 13 
			 November 2010 0 2 14 
			 December 2010 0 3 10 
			 January 2011 0 3 11 
			 February 2011 0 1 18 
			 March 2011 0 2 20 
			 April 2011 1 2 17 
			 May 2011 0 1 14 
			 June 2011 0 1 20 
			 July 2011 0 4 16 
			 August 2011 0 3 17 
			 September 2011 1 4 22

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Departmental Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many and what proportion of full- time equivalent staff in the Government Equalities Office are engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or back office services; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

WORK AND PENSIONS

StartHere

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department is working with the Department of Health on the deployment of applications produced by StartHere.

Steve Webb: The Department is not currently working with StartHere.
	However, the Department is committed to increasing the availability of its services online, and continues to work with partners including the BBC and Digital Unite to enable people to access digital services.

Female Unemployment

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reduce the rate of female unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reduce the rate of female unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Government's aim is to achieve lasting growth in employment by tackling the deficit, improving competitiveness and encouraging the growth of new businesses.
	To ensure those without work—including women—are well placed to take up the new jobs that are created, through the Work programme and universal credit we are reforming the welfare system to offer people the support they need to achieve their full potential and ensure they keep more of what they earn once back in work.

Work Capability Assessments

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking in conjunction with disability groups to update the handbook and guidance used by Atos in the administration of work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: Following a recommendation from Professor Harrington in his second independent review of the work capability assessment the Department and Atos are putting in place a formal procedure for disability groups and their clinical advisers to quality assure the evidence based protocols, condition specific training and the WCA handbook used by Atos.

Carer's Allowance

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to his Department of continuing to pay carer’s allowance to those carers in receipt of a state pension.

Steve Webb: holding answer 20 January 2012
	The overlapping benefits rule means that a person cannot be paid carer’s allowance while receiving the same amount or more from an income maintenance benefit such as state pension.
	The estimated cost of removing this rule, after adjusting for the offset in pension credit would be around £800 million(1). This estimate does not include additional costs from carers over pension age who would choose to apply for carer’s allowance if the overlapping benefits rule did not apply. These additional costs are likely to be significant but cannot be quantified.
	(1) Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, May 2011.

Charities

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The only grant payments made to a charitable organisation by the Department for Work and Pensions are those made to Motability. It is largely self-financed and the only funding the Department for Work and Pensions gives the scheme relates to the Specialised Vehicles Fund, which Motability administers on our behalf. More information about Motability can be found at:
	www.motability.co.uk
	Information on the amount of funding allocated to Motability in respect of the Specialised Vehicles Fund and its administration in each of the last five years is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 £000 
			  Specialised vehicle fund Administration costs 
			 2007-08 12,700 2,960 
			 2008-09 17,036 2,960 
			 2009-10 17,036 2,208 
			 2010-11 17,036 1,208 
			 2011-12 (1)17,036 1,000 
			 (1) The budget for the full year 2011-12 is £17,036,000 and we expect Motability to fully utilise this, although only £13,600,000 of grants have been made to date.

Children: Maintenance

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child support cases the Child Support Agency held for Carlisle in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child support cases the Child Support Agency held for Carlisle in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.
	The table shows the number of cases where a parent with care or non-resident parent resides in Carlisle parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			 As at March  each year : Caseload by parent with care in Carlisle constituency Caseload by non-resident parent Carlisle constituency 
			 2009 2,160 2,040 
			 2010 2,000 .1,870 
			 2011 1,990 1,910 
		
	
	
		
			 Notes: 1. Both the parent with care and the non-resident parent in the same case may reside in Carlisle constituency therefore the figures in the two columns should be viewed separately. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Areas are provided by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care or non-resident parent to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory. 4. Caseload refers to the live and assessed caseload which includes open cases with an ongoing child maintenance liability, cases which have been assessed as nil liability and cases where arrears of maintenance have been requested. 5. Caseload is reported at a point in time, these figures show the caseload as at the end of March each year.

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Since 1998, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this PFI, the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium, for which it pays an all-inclusive unitary charge. While this unitary charge does not cover Christmas trees and decorations, Telereal Trillium does provide a decorated tree at some headquarters sites such as Caxton house and Quarry house at their expense as a goodwill gesture. Therefore, the Department did not spend money on Christmas trees or other Christmas decorations in 2011.

Co-operatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps (a) his Department and (b) those bodies for which his Department is responsible are taking to mark UN Year of the Co-operative 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Departments will work closely with Cabinet Office, the Mutuals Taskforce and with Co-operatives UK to develop and take full advantage of opportunities to celebrate the achievements of co-operative organisations during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.
	At present neither the Department nor its non-departmental public bodies have any plans to mark the UN Year of the Co-operative 2012.
	The Mutuals Taskforce has recently indicated it will play a co-ordinating role for Departments to support the International Year of Co-operatives, with Co-operatives UK leading the Taskforce's work in this area.

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average backdated claim was which was awarded in disability living allowance appeals in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: We are unable to provide a response on the average backdated claim awarded in disability living allowance appeals because the information requested is not routinely reported and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy area which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the dates on which those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty’s Government. Providing an answer would impose a disproportionate cost.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The EU directives yet to be implemented by the Department for Work and Pensions are as follows:
	Directive 2010/41/EU of 7 July 2010 on the application of the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self employed capacity. This repeals council directive 86/613/EEC. It came into force on 4 August 2010. We are considering the date for implementation.
	Council Directive 2010/32/EU of 10 May 2010 implementing the Framework Agreement on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and health care sector concluded by HOSPEEM and EPSU. This directive came into force on 21 June 2010 and will be implemented by the transposition deadline of May 2013.

Future Jobs Fund

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had on the effects on unemployment of closure of the future jobs fund.

Chris Grayling: The future jobs fund was a very expensive programme which did not lead to enough young people entering sustained employment.
	We believe the support we are offering through the Work programme, an expanded work experience scheme and the youth contract will deliver better sustained outcome for young people.

Pensions

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to protect the interests of people with small pension pots.

Steve Webb: The problem associated with small pension pots can include higher charges, losing track of a pension or facing barriers to moving a pension and getting a decent annuity.
	That is why we published a paper in December that sets out some radical options for some form of automated transfer system to make it easy for people to build up one large pension pot.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on living standards of people (a) with disabilities and (b) diagnosed with cancer of his proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill.

Chris Grayling: The Government have published both impact and equality impact assessments on the Welfare Reform Bill, including employment and support allowance and disability living allowance reform.
	These can be found on the DWP website at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/welfare-reform-bill-2011/

Unemployment: Older People

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's recent unemployment figures include those people aged over 60 but under 65 who no longer need to make further national insurance contributions to qualify for a state pension.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether unemployment estimates include those people aged between 60 and 65 who no longer need to make further national insurance contributions to qualify for a state pension (91410).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces estimates of unemployment in accordance with international guidelines specified by the International Labour Organisation. The definition of unemployment is contained in a resolution adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians in October 1982.
	In accordance with this resolution, people in the UK aged 16 or over are recorded as being unemployed if:
	they are without a job, have actively sought work in the last four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks or;
	are out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next two weeks.
	There is no upper age limit on unemployment and whether or not a person needs to make further national insurance contributions to qualify for a state pension is not a relevant factor in determining whether a person is unemployed or not.
	The ONS also produces estimates for the claimant count which measures the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA).

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date he expects to publish programme plans for universal credit.

Chris Grayling: There is presently no intention to publish universal credit programme plans.

Vacancies

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what sources of information his Department bases its calculations of the number of job vacancies that are available to people seeking employment.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what sources of information are used to produce estimates of job vacancies (91246).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces estimates of vacancies for the whole economy excluding agriculture, forestry and fishing (due to the practical difficulties of producing estimates for this sector). The estimates are sourced from the ONS Vacancy Survey, a survey of employers. ONS surveys around 6,000 organisations per month and they are asked to record the number of vacancies for which they are actively seeking to recruit staff from outside their own organisation. These estimates are only available for the UK as a whole; there is no regional data available from this survey.
	The Department for Work & Pensions produces estimates of JobCentre Plus vacancies sourced from JobCentre Plus administrative systems. These estimates measure those vacancies notified by employers to JobCentre Plus, and are available at regional and local area level as well as at UK level.

Welfare State: Reform

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he expects to save from the reform of the welfare system in each of the next three years; and what assessment he has made of the cost of reforming the welfare system in each of the next three years.

Chris Grayling: The Spending Review 2010 announced fundamental reforms to simplify the welfare system, which were estimated to deliver net welfare savings of £7 billion per year by 2014-15.
	The detailed underlying costings for policies announced at Spending Review 2010 are published in the document Spending Review 2010 policy costings:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_policycostings.pdf
	and the estimated fiscal impact of these policies is updated in Table 2.2 of the Budget 2011 report:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ukgwacnf.html?url=http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/2011budget_complete.pdf
	DWP funding to implement the welfare reforms announced in the June 2010 Budget and the Spending Review 2010 for which DWP has responsibility is included within the overall departmental expenditure limit (DEL). This includes £2 billion over 2011-12 to 2014-15 for the introduction of universal credit. The DWP funding settlement from 2010-11 to 2014-15 is published in Spending Review 2010:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_completereport.pdf
	The DWP Business Plan 2011-15 sets out the detailed actions to reform the welfare system. This is an annual publication last updated in May 2011. Indicative figures of planned expenditure for 2011-12 were published alongside the Business Plan:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/indicative-data-2011-12.xls

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many off-benefit checks his Department has performed in relation to the Work programme since its inception.

Chris Grayling: The Department will begin conducting off-benefit checks in relation to the Work programme in April 2012.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means he will assess the extent to which Work Programme Prime Providers' funding arrangements meet the Merlin Standard for equitable transfer of financial and other risks for small, specialist and third sector providers.

Chris Grayling: The Department has appointed an independent organisation to undertake the assessment of prime contractors against the Merlin Standard. Supporting products and guidance will be available in due course on the Merlin web portal:
	http://www.merlinstandard.co.uk

Work Programme

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 217W, on the Work programme, whether claimant starts for the period June to November 2011 were in line with estimated volumes in each Work programme contract package area.

Chris Grayling: The Department intends to publish official statistics on referrals and attachments to the Work programme from spring 2012. This is in line with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure published statistics meet the required high quality standards.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

ACAS

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with ACAS on changes to early conciliation and the resources to support such changes.

Edward Davey: Officials in the Department are having regular discussions with ACAS colleagues to develop the detail of the early conciliation process and to establish what additional resourcing requirements are needed to support it.

ACAS

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the additional resources required by ACAS to implement the Government's early conciliation proposals; and what additional resources his Department will provide to ACAS in each of the next three years.

Edward Davey: Officials in the Department are working closely with ACAS colleagues to develop the detail of the early conciliation process. Once this has been determined, we will be able to determine the additional resourcing requirements needed to ensure that ACAS can deliver the new service. Any additional funding will be provided through the normal grant in aid process. Early conciliation will require primary legislation and implementation is subject to the parliamentary process.

ACAS: Finance

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided to ACAS in each year between 2008 and 2011; and how much his Department plans to provide in the next three years.

Edward Davey: The information is as follows:
	In 2011-12 ACAS' total budget allocation is £47,839,000.00.
	In 2010-11 ACAS' total budget allocation was £51,874,000.00.
	In 2009-10 ACAS' total budget allocation was £55,787,000.00.
	In 2008-09 ACAS' total budget allocation was £51,212,600.00.
	ACAS' budget allocations for the next three years have yet to be confirmed.

Bankruptcy

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average debt of those entering bankruptcy in each year since 2001; and what the average debt was, excluding mortgages and secured loans, of those who entered bankruptcy in each year since 2011.

Edward Davey: The Insolvency Service ("The Service") is able to provide details of the average debt of those entering bankruptcy in each year since 2001. The Service does not collate a total figure for the average debt excluding mortgages and secured loans.
	The following figures include those entering bankruptcy by both debtor and creditor petitions.
	The mean average can be skewed by a small number of large values in the total amount, so both the mean average and median average figures are provided for comparison purposes.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Median average amount of debt Average amount of debt 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 36,900 54,512 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 35,200 97,909 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 32,400 46,498 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 33,200 121,636 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 33,900 59,478 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 28,600 73,661 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 33,900 104,883 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 37,000 153,084 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 42,300 130,248 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 39,500 191,626 
			 April 2011 to December 2011 50,000 235,827

Business: Investment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of average levels of cash on companies' balance sheets; and what discussions he has had with companies on the use of such cash levels to invest in (a) enhancing UK competitiveness, (b) improving UK economic productivity and (c) increasing access to alternative sources of funding for UK businesses.

Edward Davey: Total cash and short-term deposits held by UK private, non-financial corporations amounted to £681 billion in 2010.(1)
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) regularly meets businesses of all sizes to discuss a wide range of issues. Cash is retained for a variety of reasons and investment decisions are commercial choices for businesses themselves. Government, however, has a vital role in creating the right incentives and framework for business investment by, for example, reducing the rate of corporation tax from 26% to 23% by 2014, reforming the planning regime, and improving R&D tax credits.
	Cash surpluses are not evenly distributed, and many businesses who want to invest have to rely on external sources of finance. We want to boost the finance options for business to include a wider range of non-bank sources. That is why my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced the establishment of an industry-led taskforce headed by Tim Breedon. The taskforce is working with businesses, investors and others to establish what steps need to be taken to remove structural and behavioural barriers to raising non-bank finance. Part of the work will include a look at ways to help businesses provide financing support to their supply chains.
	(1) Source: ONS Blue Book 2011.

Business: Investment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: At present, this Department has six EU regulations that have not as yet been fully implemented. The following table shows a list of these regulations which includes the date of which these became EU law.
	
		
			 List of EU directives that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have yet to implement in the UK (1) 
			 Directive Title Date came into force 
			 2008/06 Directive 2008/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 February 2008 amending directive 97/67/EC with regard to the full accomplishment of the internal market of Community postal services 1 October 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 2008/122 Directive 2008/122/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 January 2009 on the protection of consumers in respect of certain aspects of timeshare, long-term holiday product, resale and exchange contracts 23 February 2011 
			 2009/38 Directive 2009/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on the establishment of a European Works Council or a procedure in Community-scale undertakings and Community-scale groups of undertakings for the purposes of informing and consulting employees (Recast) 1 October 2011 
			 2009/109 Directive 2009/109/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 amending Council directives 77/91/EEC, 78/855/EEC and 82/891/EEC, and directive 2005/56/EC as regards reporting and documentation requirements in the case of mergers and divisions 1 August 2011 
			 2008/104 Directive 2008/104/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on temporary agency work 1 October 2011 
			 2011/37 Commission directive 2011/37/EU of 30 March 2011 amending annex II to directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on end-of-life vehicles 1 July 2010 
			 (1) The UK means England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Gibraltar.

Business: Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the opportunity to develop and increase Business in the Community's Business Connector programme; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Business in the Community's Business Connector programme is a good example of a business-led initiative to support community empowerment using the expertise of business. The Office of Civil Society is contributing to the funding of a pilot of the first 20 Business Connectors in which leading businesses including BT, Greggs, Fujitsu and Sainsbury's have seconded senior staff to build business expertise and delivery capacity in local community organisations. Fujitsu has also developed a supporting online resource network.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is pleased to promote the Business Connectors programme as a good example of business working with civil society to the benefit of their communities under Every Business Commits.

Business: Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to encourage companies to offer opportunities and assistance to help their staff volunteer; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to encourage companies to establish a (a) volunteering and (b) giving scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Under Every Business Commits we have challenged businesses to take action in five priority areas: investing in skills and jobs; promoting employee well-being; supporting enterprise; engaging with communities; and reducing carbon emissions. And Government have committed to remove barriers to business engagement in these areas.
	Working with business representatives on the Every Business Commits Forum, we are promoting and sharing examples of good practice, including payroll giving schemes and staff volunteering. A new business-led digital service—Trading for Good—is in development and will offer good practice sharing to small enterprises as well as toolkits offering guidance on how to take up these activities.

Consumers: Credit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the EU Consumer Credit Sweep 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that UK regulatory and enforcement bodies have sufficient resources to monitor the compliance of consumer credit providers with legislative requirements;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure providers of consumer credit comply with legislative requirements.

Edward Davey: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) participated in a sweep of websites that advertise consumer credit as part of an EU-wide investigation to check whether consumers are given the information to which they are entitled under EU consumer law.
	The OFT will use the findings from the sweep to target those companies that do not meet their legal obligations. It will inform the European Commission of the actions it has taken by autumn 2012 and the Commission will report on the results from across the EC thereafter.
	The OFT will also be launching a comprehensive compliance review of its Irresponsible Lending Guidance shortly. The review will focus on identifying those practices that are the cause of most harm to consumers and the findings will be used to take further enforcement action and drive up standards.
	The Government’s aim are to ensure a proportionate approach to regulation and enforcement whereby consumers are protected without placing unnecessary burdens on business. The Government are currently considering the future of the consumer credit regime, including future resourcing, and will make an announcement in due course.

Dementia: Research

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the (a) Medical Research Council and (b) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council spent on dementia research in 2010-11.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) spent £15.6 million in 2009/10. Precise figures for MRC expenditure in 2010/11 are not yet available. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council estimate that they spent £3.5 million in 2010/11.

Departmental Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full-time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or back office services; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The following table shows the number/headcount and proportion of full-time equivalent staff currently employed in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or back office services. To note these figures are based on staff on payroll and do not include UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).
	
		
			  Number/headcount Full-time equivalent 
			 Frontline 1,799 1,740.8 
			 Corporate/back office 661 630.9 
		
	
	The figure for corporate/back office services includes staff in legal, human resources (HR), communications, finance, shared services, internal audit, information and communications technology (ICT) services and commercial. Some of these areas also provide corporate support to BIS agencies.

Departmental Regulation

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a list of (a) all new regulations introduced and (b) all regulations abolished under his Department’s one-in one-out policy since May 2010.

Mark Prisk: The “One-in, One-out: Statement of New Regulation” (published April 2011) and the departmental statements accompanying the “One-in, One-out: Second Statement of New Regulation” (published September 2011) list new measures, including deregulatory measures, introduced under one-in, one-out between January 2011 (the effective date of the policy) and December 2011.
	Copies of all of these publications were placed in the Libraries of the House and can be found at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/bre/better-regulation-framework/one-in-one-out/statement

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty's Government. Providing an answer would pose a disproportionate cost.

Exports

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the (a) CBI, (b) Institute of Directors and (c) Federation of Small Businesses on steps to support small and medium-sized businesses to export to international markets.

Mark Prisk: As a Department, we engage regularly with key business multipliers to include the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on steps to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to export to international markets. Regular meetings take place with these organisations at both ministerial and working level to discuss key issues regarding international trade and how we can boost the number of SMEs who export.
	We have developed partnership relationships with all three organisations, and work with them to promote the benefits of trade to their SME audience via their existing channels. For example in the last 12 months we have delivered a series of breakfast round table discussions on export opportunities for SMEs in Russia, China and India and have an additional programme planned with them in the coming six months. Similarly we recently led FSB's export seminars as part of their extensive programme at the Business Start-Up Show.
	Most recently, the CBI, IoD and FSB have been involved in the national 'Export for Growth' initiative which was launched by the Prime Minister on 10 November last year. The initiative offers a series of programmes and coordinated help from professional advisers to business, to include banks, accountants, lawyers and trade associations to boost SME awareness of overseas opportunities. All three organisations helped to shape the programme for the national event and have been involved in the 12 regional events which are taking place over the next three months.

Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to promote flexible working in the last 30 years.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed on 5 June 2009. Our predecessors have promoted flexible working over a number of years, (records do not go back further than March 2000). Since 2000 activities include:
	In March 2000, the Government launched the Work-Life Balance Campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of work-life balance policies. The campaign targeted employers, encouraging them to develop policies that would enable employees to effectively balance their work with their life outside of work.
	In April 2003, the Government introduced the right to request flexible working for employed parents of young and disabled children via regulations under the Employment Act 2002.
	The Work and Families Bill 2006 widened the scope of the existing law on flexible working to enable more people (carers of adults and parents of children under 18) with caring responsibilities to request to work flexibly.
	The Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints and Remedies) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 widen the scope of the right to request flexible working to carers of certain adults from April 2007
	In 2008 all flexible working guidance was converged onto Businesslink.gov.uk and direct.gov.uk as part of Employment Law Guidance Programme. This programme aimed to support businesses in complying with their employment obligations.
	In May 2008 the Government published the independent Walsh Review "How to Extend the Right to Request Flexible Working to Parents of Older Children".
	The Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints and Remedies) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 extended the scope of flexible working law to Parents to children under 17 from April 2009.
	In the run up to the April 2009 extension of the right to request to parents of children under 17, the Government:
	Contacted over 890,000 small and medium sized enterprises to highlight the change in the law and to publicise the guidance available at businesslink.gov.uk to ensure businesses knew where to find the free help available;
	Ran a campaign via Directgov encompassing magazine advertorials, radio slots and television advertising, and highlighting the guidance and advice available on
	www.direct.gov.uk
	Engaged with key stakeholders to promote the flexible working messages to employees;
	Launched a series of activities spread over 12 months encompassing media opportunities, ministerial events and using publication s to reach the various target audiences.
	In September 2009 Government stepped up their action to raise awareness of flexible working rights for carers with the publication of a new survey showing that millions were unaware of flexible working rights for parents and carers.
	The Department worked with the Family Friendly Working Hours Taskforce to help develop their recommendations, the taskforce was established by the Department of Work and Pensions. The taskforce published the Flexible Working: working for families, working for business report in 2009 setting out recommendations for what more can be done to both encourage and support employers to realise the benefits of flexible working in their organisation.
	On 18 February 2010 Government launched a month long "Dads at Work campaign—raising awareness of paternity rights" and raising awareness among dads of their rights at work to help them care for their child.
	In response to the Government’s coalition commitment to extend the right to flexible working to all employees, we are currently reviewing the flexible working regulations with the aim of introducing an extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees by 2014.

High Street Support Scheme

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 1211W, on the High Street Support scheme, what the underspend was which was diverted to fund the High Street Support scheme relating to the West Midlands.

Mark Prisk: The underspend from the regional development agencies, including Advantage West Midlands, is subject to the remaining months de-commissioning so a precise figure is not available. However, current forecasts across all of the regional development agencies indicate that it is adequate to fund the £7 million contribution towards the High Street Support scheme.

Higher Education: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to issue guidance to universities on donations from countries with a poor record on human rights.

David Willetts: It is important that universities diversify their income sources and philanthropic donations are important in this context. It is a central principle of our successful higher education system that universities are autonomous institutions. It is for university governing bodies to assess the appropriateness of those donations they choose to accept, including the potential impact of those donations on their reputation.
	However, the Financial Memorandum between the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the institutions that they fund advises that to fulfil their duty to be accountable to all their stakeholders, higher education institutions (HEIs) should operate in an open and transparent way. This memorandum is available on the HEFCE website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2010/10_19/
	Those HEIs that are registered charities are regulated by the Charities Commission who offer advice on donations in their Compliance Toolkit which can be accessed online at:
	http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Our_regulatory_activity/Compliance_work/default.aspx

Higher Education: Yorkshire and the Humber

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 145W, on higher education: admissions, following the 15 January deadline how many UCAS applications were submitted by residents of (a) Sheffield Central constituency, (b) Sheffield, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber in the 2011-12 admissions cycle; and how many such applications had been submitted at the January deadline in the 2010-11 admissions cycle.

David Willetts: holding answer 20 January 2012
	The information is not available. UCAS will release figures showing the number of applicants who applied by 15 January on 30 January.

Insolvency

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Insolvency Service intends to release information on personal insolvencies in each parliamentary constituency for 2010.

Edward Davey: The Insolvency Service does not publish personal insolvency statistics by parliamentary constituency. Regional statistics are published by Government office region, county, unitary authority and county district, and can be downloaded here:
	http://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/regionalstatisticsmenu.htm

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role local economic partnerships will play in delivering services previously provided by UK Trade and Investment.

Mark Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) will not be delivering any services previously provided by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). However, LEPs will be key partners for UKTI in supporting foreign direct investment and international trade at the local level.

Overseas Trade

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Strategic Relations Unit has taken to ensure there is a coherent trade policy across all Government Departments.

Mark Prisk: The Strategic Relations team is focused on ensuring effective relationship management of major investors in the UK, many of whom are also exporters. Building the necessary relationship management structures across Government will result in the improved communication of trade related issues from the relationship managed sectors to the rest of Government. However, any engagement or communication will be within the Government's existing strategy for trade policy.
	Any feedback or suggestions for improving the UK's trade policy from the Strategic Relations team will be passed to the Europe and International Trade Directorate in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills who are responsible for developing the overarching strategy for UK trade policy.

Overseas Trade

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Third Special Report from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, HC 1545, paragraph 14, if he will publish the stock-take of international market access undertaken jointly by his Department, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment.

Mark Prisk: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), officials met on 13 September for a stock take of how market access issues are handled across Government, with the aim of ensuring an integrated Whitehall-wide approach to addressing market access barriers.
	The Departments are keen to ensure any overhaul of the current mechanisms does not add a layer of bureaucracy; any changes must result in direct benefits for business or improve Government efficiency. A light touch approach has been agreed to include the identification of areas where Departments need to work together and ensure information is shared appropriately. Accordingly, a stock-take report was not produced.
	Good progress has been made in delivering the UKTI strategy and implementing the FCO Charter for Business. HMG recognises the importance of fully utilising the UK's diplomatic network overseas and ministerial visits to assist in delivering value to UK business. Ministerial visits briefings have a strong focus on UK's top commercial priorities including key market access issues, ensuring Ministers, and our diplomatic network overseas, are lobbying host Governments on the commercial and trade issues of most importance to British business interests.
	Further close working across Government, and in consultation with business, is also being taken forward on a number of other fronts. For instance, we have consulted with business on our top market access issues in regards to China, building our joint understanding of the issues with a view to addressing these through a combination of our commercial diplomacy work and in influencing the European Commission to address UK priorities in bilateral trade discussions.
	In addition, DEFRA, as part of a joint Government/industry agri-food export action plan to be published later this month, will be working with industry experts and colleagues in BIS, UKTI and FCO to build up the HMG assessment of barriers to trade facing UK agri-food companies in key markets. This will raise cross-Government awareness of the obstacles facing this sector, and help build a co-ordinated lobbying effort.

Overseas Trade

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the UK's global ranking is for (a) exports and (b) inward investment in the (i) marine, (ii) security, (iii) aerospace and airport, (iv) automotive, (v) business support services, (vi) education and training, (vii) environment, (viii) food and drink, (ix) health care and bioscience and (x) information and communication technologies sector.

Mark Prisk: Overall, the UK is ranked 10th for goods exports by value, and 3rd for (non-government) service exports by value in 2010, according to the World Trade Organisation. The UK is also ranked 3rd for inward investment stock by value in 2010, according to UNCTAD.
	Data on an industry sector level are limited due to the need for international comparability, and export data is more readily available for goods (commodities) and services rather than by industry sectors. Available rankings for the value of goods and services exports (plus some related commodities) and inward investment stock value are shown in the following tables. Some data used here are collated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and therefore do not cover all countries but cover where available, all 34 OECD member countries, plus the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs), South Africa and Indonesia.
	
		
			 (a) Exports 
			 Sector Data available (1) UK ranking Year Source 
			 Marine 3511: Building and repairing of ships (G) 12th out of 30 2004 OECD 
			  793: Export of ships, boats, floats (C) 11th out of 123 2010 UN 
			 Security Not available — — — 
			 Aerospace and airport 353: Manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft (G) 4th out of 30 2004 OECD 
			  792: Export of aircraft and associated equipment (C) 64th out of 121 2010 UN 
			 Automotive 34: Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (G) 9th out of 39 2008 OECD 
			  78: Export of road vehicles (C) 11th out of 131 2010 UN 
			 Business support services 74: Other business activities (G) 5th out of 39 2008 OECD 
			  268: Other business services (S) 2nd out of 30 2007 OECD 
			 Education and training Not available — — — 
			 Environment Not available — — — 
			 Food and drink 15: Manufacture of food products and beverages (G) 10th out of 39 2008 OECD 
			  0: Export of food and live animals (C) 16th out of 137 2010 UN 
			 Health care and bioscience 2423: Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemicals and botanical products (G) 5th out of 30 2004 OECD 
			  331: Manufacture of medical appliances and instruments and appliances for other purposes (G) 4th out of 30 2004 OECD 
			  54: Export of medicinal, pharmaceutical products (C) 6th out of 128 2010 UN 
			 Information and communication technologies 30: Manufacture of office, accounting and computing machinery (G) 7th out of 39 2008 OECD 
			  32: Manufacture of radio, TV, communications equipment (G) 10th out of 39 2008 OECD 
			  245: Communication services (S) 2nd out of 30 2007 OECD 
			  262: Computer and information services (S) 2nd out of 28 2007 OECD 
			 (1) G=goods exports by industry, S=services exports, C=commodity data 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Inward investment 
			 Sector Data available UK ranking Year Source 
			 Marine 6100: Water transport 6th out of 20 2009 OECD 
		
	
	
		
			 Security Not available — — — 
			 Aerospace and airport 6200: Air transport 1st out of 21 2009 OECD 
			 Automotive 3400: Motor vehicles 3rd out of 20 2009 OECD 
			  5000: Sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles; retail sale of automotive fuel 2nd( )out of 22 2009 OECD 
			  6000: Land transport 1st out of 18 2009 OECD 
			 Business support services 7300: Research and development 4th out of 22 2009 OECD 
			  7400: Other business services 6th out of 23 2009 OECD 
			 Education and training Not available — — — 
			 Environment Not available — — — 
			 Food and drink 1605: Food products 10th out of 25 2009 OECD 
			 Health care and bioscience Not available — — — 
			 Information and communication technologies 3000: Office machinery and computers 2nd out of 20 2009 OECD 
			  3200: Radio, TV, communication equipment 6th out of 23 2009 OECD 
			  6400: Post and telecommunications 1st out of 22 2009 OECD 
			  7200: Computer activities 6th out of 23 2009 OECD

Overseas Trade: India

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of changes in the levels of (a) exports and (b) inward investment arising from UK Trade and Investment's work in Mumbai, India, in each year between 1997 and 2011.

Mark Prisk: It is not possible to quantify the impact specifically of UK Trade & Investment's Mumbai office on overall bilateral trade and investment levels for the period in question. Between 1997 and 2010 (the last year for which full statistics are available), the value of trade in goods and services rose from £4.19 billion to £14.23 billion. No records for inward investment from India were published in 1997 and the last year for which complete figures are available is 2009. During this (1998-2009) period inward investment flows increased from £94 million to £1.84 billion.

Science: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent from its funding for science and research programmes in each region in each year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The October 2011 National Statistics Public Expenditure Outturn provided details of regional expenditure.
	According to the Chapter 3 CRA database, which analyses expenditure by Department, region and function, the expenditure on science and technology by BIS was as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 England      
			 East 243.8 257.1 294.6 335.8 320.9 
			 East Midlands 120.7 151.2 141.9 173.2 157.4 
			 London 321.4 393.1 401.1 474.4 412.9 
			 North East 76.0 93.7 85.4 109.9 93.7 
			 North West 184.2 224.3 216.3 251.4 227.4 
			 South East 303.3 374.5 363.7 398.1 371.1 
			 South West 131.8 185.6 206.1 165.9 163.5 
			 West Midlands 116.6 153.6 139.9 164.9 146.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 154.3 191.6 177.6 202.9 177.0 
			 Northern Ireland 18.2 29.1 25.9 37.5 36.1 
			 Not Identifiable 469.9 363.3 352.2 368.9 378.1 
			 Outside UK 182.2 161.5 254.2 242.4 245.0 
			 Scotland 171.6 205.3 229.8 270.5 266.1 
			 Wales 58.3 71.1 67.2 79.3 81.8 
			  2,552.3 2,855.1 2,955.9 3,275.2 3,077.5 
		
	
	Science and Research spending follows the Haldane Principle which means that decisions on individual research proposals are best taken by researchers themselves through peer review and not Ministers. The coalition Government support this principle as vital for the protection of academic independence and excellence. Research Council funding is dedicated to supporting excellent research, irrespective of its geographical location. That approach maintains the UK's position against international competition.
	The overall profile of expenditure shows a sharp increase in expenditure for 2009-10 and a reduction in 2010-11. This was caused primarily by the previous Government's policy to accelerate capital expenditure, while maintaining the planned budget envelope.
	For the new spending review period which started in 2011 -12 funding for science and research programmes has been protected in cash terms demonstrating the Government's commitment to rebalancing the economy and promoting economic growth.

Trade Promotion

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that (a) small and medium-sized businesses, (b) the creative industries and (c) the food and drink industry are adequately represented on the British Business Ambassador's Network.

Mark Prisk: Business ambassadors act as powerful advocates of the UK—they are some of our top business people and academics, many of whom have built successful global businesses from small company beginnings. Their responsibilities go far beyond representing their current business roles or interests and they are expected to represent the sector in which they have built their expertise and knowledge. They have a very clear remit, which includes:
	promoting the UK economy and the UK business environment;
	lobbying to remove barriers to market access;
	leading events for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and
	helping UK SMEs to access overseas business opportunities.
	The Business Ambassador Network not only includes a wide range of expertise and experience, but also a new generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders. In the case of the creative industries and food and drink sectors, we have experts in the form of Sir John Sorrell (chairman, London Design Festival) and Sir David Reid (former chairman, Tesco).
	Although it is not possible to cover every individual sub-sector, we regularly review the network with the aim of expanding its overall sectoral coverage.

Trade Promotion

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanism his Department has put in place to assess the effectiveness of The British Business Ambassadors Network.

Mark Prisk: Given the nature of the business ambassadors' role, it is difficult to measure the specific impact of their involvement in a particular campaign. However in trying to measure their impact, we have chosen to assess the network's effectiveness in communicating core messages about the UK, and promoting UK excellence to as many potential customers and inward investors as possible. This includes where appropriate media coverage and feedback from UKTI trade teams overseas on events; and from discussion with the business ambassadors themselves to ensure we learn from each event and tailor activities to the strengths and interests of each business ambassador.
	A summary list of activities undertaken by the Business Ambassadors Network throughout 2011 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. A copy will also be published at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/keypeople/businessambassadors.html

Trade Promotion

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) name, (b) country of origin and (c) sector expertise is of each member of the Catalyst UK network.

Mark Prisk: There are currently 128 Catalyst members, of which 76 are UK based and 52 overseas. We have members of many nationalities including British (80), Indian (12), US (eight), Chinese (seven), South African (four) and French (three).
	Principal sectors that members represent are ICT (38), health care (21), creative industries (21) and financial services (18). The remaining 30 cover sectors which include aerospace, professional and business services, engineering, environment, marine and defence, chemicals, sustainable development, oil and gas, mining, agri-tech and power.
	UKTI currently recruits Catalyst members on the basis that their details will be held confidentially. We are considering the development of a public listing.

UK Trade and Investment

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what strategy UK Trade and Investment has put in place to increase its work with small and medium-sized businesses.

Mark Prisk: UKTI's strategy, “Britain Open for Business”, recognises the need to encourage many more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to export as central to the Government's drive for growth through international trade. The Government's autumn statement allocated increased funding for UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), to help it double its client base to 50,000 SMEs per year by 2015. This will include a new focus on helping 1,500 more mid-sized businesses (MSBs) to export each year and bringing the annual number of MSBs supported to 3,000 each year by 2015.
	UKTI will not work in isolation to deliver this ambition. We are developing new delivery partnerships with professional and intermediary organisations such as banks, accountants and lawyers to raise awareness of the benefits of exporting to SME businesses. The Prime Minister launched a national export challenge at a conference in London on 10 November 2011, entitled “Exporting for Growth”, which brought together around 400 intermediaries. At that event the Minister of State for Trade and Investment my noble Friend the Lord Green, launched a national campaign to highlight the valuable role professionals and organisations closest to UK firms can have in encouraging them to pursue growth through exports. Similar events are now being held throughout the UK. Separately, successful partnership marketing agreements, or memorandum of understandings (MOUs), are in place with Alibaba, Entrepreneur Country, Telegraph and Companies House, which are already delivering client marketing opportunities.
	In addition to the increased outreach, the additional resources will allow us to increase the level of support for UK companies in the regions and in high growth markets. This will enable us to reach more businesses, providing access to the range of services we have to offer, including: access to a local International Trade Advisor; specialist help with tackling cultural and language issues; advice on how to go about market research; and ongoing support to help businesses continue to develop their export potential and enter new and more sophisticated markets. Once the initial research has been done, UKTI can assist businesses with information, contacts, practical assistance, advice, mentoring and ongoing help before they go overseas and while they are there.
	Finally, encouraging more SMEs to trade in high growth markets is central to our strategy. To aid this we are planning high impact events across the UK to raise awareness about high growth and emerging markets. These events will be delivered in partnership with the Asian Task Force, Latin America and Partner Middle East initiatives. While the UK Indian Business Council and the China Britain Business Council will also be undertaking a programme of outreach events.

UK Trade and Investment

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to attract business leaders into roles in UK Trade and Investment.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) May 2011 Strategy, 'Britain Open for Business', set out how UKTI will develop a more entrepreneurial culture which makes better use of private sector expertise and talent. Over the last year, UKTI has recruited senior figures with extensive business experience to the posts of head of UKTI's new Strategic Relations Team; CEO of Tech City Investment Organisation; heading up UKTI's operation in the United States; and to lead UKTI's efforts to help 50,000 small and medium-sized enterprises into export markets each year. Further senior vacancies will be advertised in due course.

UK Trade and Investment

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria UK Trade and Investment uses to calculate its budgets for different international markets.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) uses various criteria to plan the deployment of resources in international markets. UKTI adopts a two stage approach, which is set out as follows.
	(i) The identification of international markets using an assessment of:
	the size and potential for growth,
	the Government's assessment of their strategic political and economic importance,
	the security situation,
	the strength of scientific, technical and research base,
	the performance of UK businesses relative to competitors,
	the market match with UK capability, and
	the presence of active local partners keen to strengthen trading links with the UK.
	(ii) The allocation of budgets based on:
	the resources available,
	the relative importance of market and potential for growth,
	the need for the Government to help British business interests,
	the demand for our services from UK businesses,
	an evaluation of the productivity of our teams,
	how we can deliver more through private sector partners, and
	the network shift of FCO resources to emerging powers announced on 11 May 2011, Official Report, column 1166, by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague).

UK Trade and Investment

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role sector group task forces have within UK Trade and Investment.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has established 18 sector advisory groups consisting of around 200 business representatives from some of the UK's major companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises with a strong international focus. These groups form an important link to their industries, providing business input, validation and challenge to UKTI's activities. Members give a great deal of their time and energy on a pro-bono basis, advising on UKTI's priorities within their sectors; scoping new export opportunities; hosting inward VIP visitors; and contributing towards government-to-government dialogue.
	This is distinct from the role of Minister-led geographical task forces, which are focused on a particular area of the world, such as Asia or the middle east. Both the sector advisory groups and geographical task forces are UK bodies, as distinct from the many joint bodies UKTI organises with partner countries around the world, such as the Joint Economic and Trade Committees with China, India and Brazil.

UK Trade and Investment: Manpower

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff UK Trade and Investment employs in each country in which it has a presence.

Mark Prisk: UKTI is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and staff from its private sector contractors.
	The latest figures available for the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) people working to UKTI objectives in each market are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Market Total FTEs 
			 Algeria 4.1 
			 Angola 3.2 
			 Argentina 8.1 
			 Australia 30.08 
			 Austria 6.2 
			 Azerbaijan 2.07 
			 Bahrain 4.2 
			 Bangladesh 3.9 
			 Barbados 3.2 
			 Belgium 16.58 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.05 
			 Brazil 38.43 
			 Brunei 1.55 
			 Bulgaria 5.1 
			 Canada 31.05 
			 Chile 5 
			 China 92.48 
			 Colombia 5.1 
			 Costa Rica 2 
			 Croatia 3.1 
			 Cuba 2.1 
			 Cyprus 3.05 
			 Czech Republic 9.45 
			 Denmark 10.32 
			 Dominican Republic 2.05 
			 Ecuador 1.7 
			 Egypt 11.1 
			 Estonia 5.6 
			 Ethiopia 2.1 
			 Finland 7.81 
			 France 37.3 
			 Germany 39.53 
			 Ghana 4.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Greece 7.2 
			 Hong Kong (SAR) 23.85 
			 Hungary 7.2 
			 Iceland 2.07 
			 India 86.75 
			 Indonesia 10.1 
			 Iraq 5.15 
			 Ireland 8.5 
			 Israel 7.58 
			 Italy 22.55 
			 Jamaica 2.08 
			 Japan 47.15 
			 Jordan 5.05 
			 Kazakhstan 5.12 
			 Kenya 4.1 
			 Korea (South) 20.35 
			 Kuwait 6.9 
			 Latvia 3.1 
			 Lebanon 3.1 
			 Libya 1 
			 Lithuania 3.15 
			 Luxembourg 1 
			 Malaysia 17.4 
			 Mexico 30.6 
			 Morocco 4.9 
			 Netherlands 8.9 
			 New Zealand 6.38 
			 Nigeria 13.1 
			 Norway 10.27 
			 Oman 9.2 
			 Pakistan 5.57 
			 Palestinian Territories 1.05 
			 Panama 2.15 
			 Peru 4.1 
			 Philippines 7.37 
			 Poland 16.28 
			 Portugal 10.2 
			 Qatar 9 
			 Romania 9.48 
			 Russia 31.31 
			 Saudi Arabia 24.1 
			 Serbia 3.45 
			 Singapore 18.47 
			 Slovakia 4.1 
			 Slovenia 2.05 
			 South Africa 21.35 
			 Spain 28.2 
			 Sri Lanka 2.7 
			 Sudan 1.1 
			 Sweden 12.81 
			 Switzerland 10.5 
			 Syria 5.1 
			 Taiwan 17.5 
			 Tanzania 2.1 
			 Thailand 12.67 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 2.98 
			 Tunisia 2.7 
			 Turkey 19.9 
			 Uganda 2.1 
			 Ukraine 3.4 
			 United Arab Emirates 24.3 
			 United States 125.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Venezuela 3.9 
			 Vietnam 14.2 
			 Total FTEs 1,249.19

UK Trade and Investment: PA Consulting Group

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what services PA Consulting provides through its contract with UK Trade and Investment.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) contract with PA Consulting for the provision of business specialists to support UK small and medium-sized enterprises to understand and access international trade opportunities.
	In addition, UKTI contract with PA Consulting to deploy investment advisers across England (with the exception of London who have their own arrangements) to deliver inward investment support services to business. This delivery contract replaced the inward investment services previously delivered by the network of regional development agencies.

UK Trade and Investment: Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many unpaid or expenses-only interns have been employed by UK Trade and Investment since May 2010.

Edward Davey: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Any interns working for UKTI do so under the graduate intern scheme and are fully paid. Our records indicate that we do not have any interns working in UKTI who are either unpaid or paid expenses only.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Apprentices

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprentices were employed by each public body for which his Department is responsible between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and how many apprenticeships he expects each public body to sponsor between (i) January and March 2012 and (ii) April and March 2013.

Alan Duncan: The public bodies for which the Department for International Development is responsible did not employ any apprentices between April 2010 and December 2011.
	The Department does not expect these public bodies to sponsor apprenticeships in the future.

Departmental Apprentices

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much such funding he plans to allocate in 2012-13.

Alan Duncan: The following funding was allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in the Department for International Development:
	
		
			  April to March each year Funding for apprenticeships (£) 
			 (a) 2010-11 20,000 
			 (b) 2011-12 10,000 
			 — 2012-13 (1)— 
			 (1) Not yet allocated.

Departmental Apprentices

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprentices were employed by his Department between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and how many apprenticeships his Department will sponsor between (i) January and March 2012 and (ii) April and March 2013.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development did not recruit any apprentices between April 2010 and December 2011. However, it did sponsor an apprenticeship for a current member of staff.
	The Department has confirmed sponsorship of two in-service apprenticeships between January and March 2012. Plans for April 2012 to March 2013 will be finalised following end of year personal development reviews.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the names are of people other than officials and political advisers who have accompanied him and his Ministers on official visits overseas since May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development Ministers are accompanied on official overseas visits by Government officials and special advisers only. This information is published every quarter, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. As is standard practice for overseas visits, journalist may sometimes travel with the Minister at their own expense.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions officials from his Department have had on the development of new agreement mechanisms for (a) food insecurity and (b) agricultural development in the developing world when the L'Aquila agreement expires in 2013.

Stephen O'Brien: UK officials will hold discussions with their Aquila Food Security Initiative and other G20 country counterparts on how best to maintain support for efforts to address food insecurity and promote agriculture sector growth in the run up to the US G8 summit in Chicago in May this year.

Developing Countries: Famine

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the Save the Children Charter to End Extreme Hunger.

Alan Duncan: The Government support the aim of the Charter to End Extreme Hunger, which is to reduce the likelihood of crises such as that currently affecting the Horn of Africa taking place in the future. An assessment conducted by the Department for International Development concluded that of the charter's 13 recommendations, the Government are already carrying out seven and considering another two. The four remaining recommendations we deem to be unworkable. The International Development Secretary wrote in November to the non-governmental organisations behind the charter to let them know that therefore the Government would not formally endorse the charter.
	In at-risk areas such as the Horn, the Government are already supporting the strengthened warning systems, resilience to disasters and stability that the charter calls for. In Ethiopia, for example, we are helping 7.8 million people to break their need for emergency aid by providing support before food insecurity reaches famine levels. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), has also mobilised a group of high level political champions to make sure that much greater attention is given to disaster resilience in order to reduce the likelihood of similar crises taking place in the future—both in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere.

Developing Countries: Famine

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what his policy is on the Save the Children Charter to End Extreme Hunger;
	(2)  if he plans to hold discussions with representatives of Save the Children on its Charter to End Extreme Hunger;
	(3)  what representations he has received on the Save the Children Charter to End Extreme Hunger.

Alan Duncan: The Government support the aim of the Charter to End Extreme Hunger, which is to reduce the likelihood of crises such as that currently affecting the horn of Africa taking place in the future. This aim was reflected in the commitments made in the Government’s Humanitarian Policy, published in September 2011. Analysis conducted by the Department for International Development concluded that the Government are carrying out the substantive points of the charter already but that some of the recommendations are unworkable. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), wrote in November to the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) behind the charter, including Save the Children, to let them know that the Government support their aims but would not formally endorse the charter.
	This letter was in response to an invitation from the NGOs behind the charter inviting the Government to study their recommendations. As well as this, the Secretary of State for International Development has received correspondence about the charter from Members of Parliament and members of the public. The issue was also discussed at the Department for International Development’s quarterly meeting with the British Overseas Aid Group, of which, Save the Children is a member.

East Africa: Droughts

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the famine in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: There has been a fragile improvement in the situation over the last few months. The number of people affected by the famine and at risk of imminent death has reduced from 750,000 to 250,000—in part thanks to the dramatic scale-up of relief assistance led by the UK and others. However, tens of thousands of people have died, four million people remain in need of emergency assistance, and the current challenges to humanitarian access mean that a further deterioration is possible.
	The Department for International Development is finalising planned early UK contributions towards the United Nations' led 2012 Somalia humanitarian Consolidated Appeal, to support further assistance efforts where possible.

East Africa: Droughts

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had on the UK's contribution to the 2012 Consolidated Appeals for Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's support to the consolidated appeals this year will build on that provided in 2011. Since July, British aid in Somalia has contributed to lifting 500,000 people out of famine and has directly reached 130,000 people with food, treated 15,000 starving children, vaccinated over a million children against measles and provided seeds, fertiliser and vaccinations for livestock benefiting over 75,000 farmers and herders. In Kenya, since July British aid has supported the distribution of food to prevent malnutrition to 260,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers in drought affected areas; and in the Dadaab refugee camps provided access to clean water for 90,000 people and sanitation for 66,000.
	My Department is currently finalising planned early contributions towards the 2012 Somalia Consolidated Appeal, which I expect to announce shortly. We are also designing new multi-year nutrition and refugee programmes in Kenya, which are in line with the Kenya Consolidated Appeal.

East Africa: Droughts

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the recent famine in the Horn of Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Based on data collected by the UN, latest UK estimates show that, from April to August 2011, between 50,000 and 100,000 people may have died due to drought-related causes, over half of whom were children under five. The full extent of death caused by the drought may never be known.
	British support has already helped triple the number of people receiving food each month and had a major role in reducing cases of measles by almost half. So far, British aid has:
	fed 2.4 million people, including nearly 500,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers who are receiving supplementary nutritional packages;
	vaccinated 1.3 million people against measles and 680,000 against polio;
	provided 400,000 doses of anti-malarial medication in Somalia;
	provided 1.2 million people with clean water and sanitation equipment such as latrines; and
	given 200,000 people seeds and fertilizer to enable them to plant crops now conditions are improving.
	In addition over the past month, a further 9,000 tonnes of British-funded food supplies and lifesaving medicines have arrived, enough to feed 800,000 people and provide medical treatment for 75,000.

EU Law

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other means originated from proposals by the European Commission in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development has not brought into force any legislation that has originated from proposals by the European Commission in 2010 or 2011.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which EU (a) directives, (b) regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department require transposition into UK law; and what estimate he has made of the cost to (i) the public purse and (ii) the private sector of such measures.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not have any EU directives, regulations or other legislation that require transposition into UK law.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: My Department does not hold information about the implementation of regulations in other member states. In the area of International Development policy there are no EU regulations which national authorities in EU member states have responsibility for applying directly in their country.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: In the area of International Development policy there are no EU regulations that require implementation in the UK.

Food Aid: East Africa

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much Government aid was given to East African countries to alleviate the food shortages in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided a total of £48.35 million in aid to East African countries to alleviate food shortages in the financial year 2010-11.
	A copy of a table showing the breakdown of aid given to East African countries will be submitted to the House Library.

Food Aid: East Africa

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he is taking steps to avert a food crisis in West Africa.

Stephen O'Brien: The EC Humanitarian Office (ECHO) estimates that 6.8 million people are currently food insecure across the Sahel. This is due to a decline in the 2011 harvest, combined with unseasonably high cereal prices across West Africa.
	In response to early warning signals, the UN released the sum of £7.8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to address needs in Niger and Chad. The UK is the largest donor to the CERF, and the UK's share of this is £1.9 million.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) has been monitoring the food security situation in a number of countries in West Africa over the past few months. DFID officials have also been closely liaising with their opposite numbers in other governments, and with officials from the Red Cross, the United Nations and leading non-governmental organisations.
	DFID officials will be visiting the region later this month to assess the current situation.

Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK will make a contribution to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme.

Stephen O'Brien: Ministers are considering whether providing funds for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme would represent value for money and make a significant, additional contribution to our support for agriculture and food and nutrition security in developing countries.

Migration: Climate Change

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has any plans to respond to the Government Office for Science’s Foresight report entitled Migration and Global Environmental Change.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) welcomes the publication of the Foresight report on Migration and Global Environmental Change. The report has important implications for DFID’s work in three areas. First, internal migration is a normal part of the livelihoods strategies of poor people in developing countries to enable them to adapt to environmental change. Second, much of this movement will be to low-lying coastal cities which increases the strain on resources and the vulnerability of poor people to catastrophic events. Third, many poor people will remain trapped in areas subject to the effects of environmental changes and unable to adapt through internal migration, who will require additional support to enable them to become resilient to these changes.

Nigeria: Police

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government have provided for the training of police in Nigeria.

Andrew Mitchell: Through the Justice for All programme, the Department for International Development provides training to the Nigerian police force. The programme assists the Nigerian police on community policing, better management and improved oversight.
	The Justice for All programme started in November 2010 and runs to 2015. The programme has a strong focus on security aspects affecting women and girls.

Sahel: Agriculture

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk of a food crisis developing in the Sahel; and what steps his Department is taking to counter any such risk.

Stephen O'Brien: The EC Humanitarian Office (ECHO) estimates that 6.8 million men, women and children across the Sahel region of west Africa are at risk of severe food shortages in the coming months. This is due to a decline in the 2011 harvest, combined with unseasonably high cereal prices across west Africa.
	In direct response to these early warning signals, my Department has announced an urgent package of support to help mitigate the crisis. British aid will help treat 68,000 severely malnourished children in Niger, Chad and Mali and provide animal feed and vaccinations to 30,000 families to keep their livestock alive.
	In addition, British aid is already reaching those in need through the release of £7.8 million from the United Nation's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)—to which Britain is a major contributor.
	DFID officials will continue to monitor the situation closely and will liaise closely with their opposite numbers in other governments, and with officials from the Red Cross, the United Nations and leading non-governmental organisations.
	DFID officials will be visiting the region later this month to further assess the current situation.

Sahel: Agriculture

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase the livelihood resilience of (a) rural populations and (b) smallholders in the Sahel.

Stephen O'Brien: My Department is currently preparing a Sahel Resilience Strategy. This was part of a commitment made in response to the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) last year to champion the development of regional resilience plans where appropriate and with those best placed to do so (particularly in the multilateral system), starting with the Sahel and the Caribbean. The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have bilateral development programmes in the Sahel, but works through a regional and multilateral mechanism.
	In terms of support for livelihoods resilience in the Sahel, the UK is already funding the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which is promoting agricultural-led economic growth to reduce poverty. A number of Sahelian countries have prepared investment plans for CAADP and the programme has an important role to play building the resilience of smallholders. DFID is also a major funder of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), which includes Niger as one the priority countries. PPCR is supporting a $63 million programme in Niger to improve the resilience of the populations and production systems to climate change and variability, in order to increase national food security.
	In addition to the aforementioned work on resilience, and in direct response to early warning signals of a looming food crisis in the region, my Department has announced an urgent package of support to help mitigate the crisis.
	British aid will help treat 68,000 severely malnourished children in Niger, Chad and Mali and provide animal feed and vaccinations to 30,000 families to keep their livestock alive.
	DFID officials will continue to monitor the situation closely and will be visiting the region later this month to further assess the situation.

Trade Promotion

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of foreign governments including the promotion of the business interests of particular companies since May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers external meetings are available on the Department for International Development website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.